SOCSD Board approves jointuse agreement with city

A long-discussed partnership came to fruition Tuesday night, when the Starkville-Oktibbeha Consolidated School District Board of Trustees approved a joint-use agreement between the city and the district.

The agreement will keep district playgrounds and other facilities open during the summer and provides for a security presence, maintenance and liability insurance. It will also allow the city to use district

facilities, including school gyms. In earlier interviews, Starkville Mayor Lynn Spruill said she hoped such an agreement would come about during her time as mayor.

Superintendent Eddie Peasant said interim Starkville Parks and Recreation Director Gerry Logan and district Athletic Director Cheyenne Trussell formulated the agreement.

“We have worked to an agreement here to allow use of our playgrounds at our elementary schools and some of our other athletic facilities with the city,” Peasant said. “We’ll have security there at times we’re not, also making sure that they’re maintained before the beginning of school.”

Peasant also said liability concerns had also been addressed leading into the agreement. He also said Board Attorney John Hill had approved the agreement.

School board member Sumner Davis said many families already used the playgrounds as the agreement laid out.

“We haven’t been covered, and we also haven’t had the police department involved with security,” Peasant said.

Peasant also said Cademy Construction had maintained a full crew on the Partnership School site for at least the past week, and was getting close to ready to hand off the site to West Brothers Construction, the Columbus firm set to build the Partnership School. Peasant said he would attend a meeting Wednesday to determine when the site would be handed off to West Brothers. Last month, Peasant said dirt work was behind by up to 50 days, citing weather delays and slow progress on Cademy’s part. ‘We are at the point right now where they feel that we are just about ready to turn it over,” Peasant said. “As a mater of fact, I’ll be meeting with them (Wednesday) Cademy, our architect Bruce

Wood and West Brothers. They’ll know exactly where we are. “

Peasant said Cademy still needed to take the site pad a few more feet out at certain spots, but were close to complete.

Peasant said there was a possibility of both Cademy and West brothers being on the site initially, with Cademy finishing work on the road into and out of the site.

The board also unanimously approved a permanent right-of-way easement, allowing the city of Starkville to perform work on the city’s sewer collection system crossing 16th Section property.

“There’s a lift station to the north, and what we’re trying to do is get it connected down to Highway 25,” said Starkville Utilities Director Terry Kemp.

The board also approved changes to the 2018-2019 calendar, providing for some late start 60 percent days to be used for professional development and parent-teacher conferences.