Gentry board approves $1.3 million turf project

The School Board approved spending approximately $1.3 million to add turf to the baseball diamond’s infield and add turf and a raised left and leftcenter field fence to the softball field.

GENTRY — The School District is continuing upgrades to the Merrill Reynolds Memorial Sports Complex.

During its Feb. 19 meeting, the School Board approved spending approximately $1.3 million to add turf to the baseball diamond’s infield and add turf and a raised left and left-center field fence to the softball field. Funding for the project will come from surplus money proposed by Stephens Inc., the district’s financial adviser.

The School Board on Nov. 13 approved major upgrades to Pioneer Stadium, including a new track and a turf football field. The football stadium improvements were projected to cost $3.9 million and take an estimated six months to complete, according to information provided to the board by Flintco, project manager for the work. The project began at the beginning of the year and is expected to be finished by the start of the 2024 football season.

The project includes turf with a shock pad, a new track and new long jump facilities on the southeast side of the track. The stadium seating will get a new front rather than its current open one, but the seating will not be changed. The turf surface is expected to last eight to 10 years.

The turf is being purchased and installed by Hellas Construction, a company that manufactures and installs turf nationwide and has installed turf in professional sports stadiums as well as at area high schools such as Gravette and Fayetteville. Six turf companies bid on the project, but Hellas was the only one that met all the bid specifications.

At its Dec. 19 meeting, the board considered adding the softball and baseball upgrades to the Pioneer Stadium project.

The elevated fencing in left and left-center fields of the softball field are aimed at bringing it as close as possible to regulation standards — 200 feet from home plate to the outfield fence. The fence is only 174 feet from home plate in left field and part of center field because of the field’s location and current property lines. A higher fence would compensate for the shorter distance to the outfield fence.

In other business:

• The board approved a school calendar for the 2024-25 school year, with a start date of Aug. 19. However, the district has applied for a waiver, which would allow student instruction days to begin a week earlier, on Aug. 12.

• Brent Hester was appointed as the district’s full-time athletic director. He had been serving in the role in addition to his duties as the middle school assistant principal.