Superb safety sustained building new PRHS

In the first meeting since the covid-19 quarantine, Pea Ridge School Board members met in an open court room at separate tables positioned around the room. There were 10 people in the room at a time.

Presenters were brought into the room one at a time to speak.

Dave Kennedy, senior project manager with C.R. Crawford, told school officials work is progressing well on construction of the new high school and said there were 177 workers on the site Monday.

“We’re keeping safe. They’re working on flooring, painting, mechanical, electrical … we are having a good outcome, good numbers, keeping safe,” Kennedy said, explaining that there had not been a lost-time injuring during the project. He said the company had logged more than 164,981 man hours on the project as of Monday.

Board member Sandy Button, saying she understood the city’s Planning Commission board of adjustments had granted a waiver

for a temporary partial certificate of occupancy, asked what additional work would be required for that to happen.

Construction superintendent Teddy Mitchell told the board there would be no additional work or costs with the safety precautions required for the temporary certificate of occupancy. He said additional signage and fencing would be erected but that the firewall and door between areas two and three (the gym and fine arts arena) and area one, the educational space, was an appropriate barrier between the finished and unfinished areas.

“Have you dealt with this before?” asked board president Jeff Neil.

“Yes, a lot of times,” Mitchell replied, adding that many times, construction projects happen when schools are occupied and in session.

“It’s been an incredible year,” school superintendent Rick Neal said. “There have been 170 rain events. It’s been a very challenging building environment. Their patience is very much appreciated. We’ve got about eight weeks to get in there and get ready.”

After an executive session, board members approved personnel changes including the transfer of Tony Travis from assistant principal at the junior high to athletic and activities director and hiring Jeff Williams as head football coach replacing Stephen Neal who resigned to accept a position in Oklahoma.

Assistant superintendent Kevin Ramey, formerly athletic director, presented seven bids to the board for gym and athletic equipment for the new high school. He said the items were bid separately because he believed he could save money doing so. The bids approved included $22,433.71 from MedCo for training room equipment for new arena; $17,847.50 from Central Arkansas Sports for basketball goals for new arena; $34,986.99 from Dream Seat for gym furniture for new basketball arena; $32,000 from Quality Handyman Service for lockers for new arena; $19,900 from Cold Tub for a cold/hot tub for training room; $168,742 from Nevco for scoreboards/video boards for new basketball arena; and $12,548.77 from Central Arkansas Sports for sideline chairs for new basketball arena.

Answering questions from board members, Ramey said the whirlpool tub can be used hot or cold and has filters for additional sanitary use and will seat from three to five students. He said the training room at the high school would be the hub dedicated to training for all athletes and all morning treatments would be done there.

With the scoreboard, Ramey said there would be a central scoreboard as well a two static scoreboards on either end of the gym, as well as shot clocks, red lights behind the goals. Button asked about donations from banks and Ramey said because the scoreboards are electronic, any advertisements can be added when they are available.

Both superintendent Neal and board president Jeff Neil, president of Arvest Bank in Pea Ridge, said the economic culture has curtailed donations from banks to schools.

In other business, board members:

• Accepted resignations from Asa Poteete, assistant football coach and teacher; Gena Grubbs as Jr. High coach in order to return to fulltime classroom responsibilities; Chelsea Poteete, speech language pathologist; and Stephen Neal, football coach;

• Hired Jeremy Edwards, science teacher; and Jeff Williams, head football coach and teacher; and

• Approved transfer of Tony Travis from Jr. High assistant principal to athletic and activities director; Amber Harrison to Jr. High cheer coach; and Dena Hamilton from Intermediate School teacher to Library media specialist.