PW Board agrees to buy bleachers for football field

The Palestine-Wheatley School Board on Monday agreed to purchase bleachers for the district’s new football field.

During the regular monthly meeting, superintendent Jon Estes told board members the low bid on the home side bleachers with a press box for the new field was submitted by Stadium Pros, Inc., at a cost of $695,000.

"I have explained to all of you our ongoing project at the athletic fields," said Estes. "However, we are now ready to purchase the grandstands for the football field. If it was up to me, I would have found bleachers somewhere else that were in good condition but used for about $30,000. I think this is highway robbery, but considering the time constraints, I recommend that we go with the low bid of $695,000 for our home side bleachers and a press box from Stadium Pros Incorporated. They will be nice."

Board members also agreed to purchase two new buses and cameras for the district through ESSER funding and allowed an employed to rescind her resignation.

Estes explained to the board that they accepted the resignation during the September meeting.

"I recommend that we accept the rescinding of the resignation of Fannie Evans," said Estes. "During the last board meeting, you all accepted her resignation. Just after this, she resent her resignation along with a letter. In the letter, she says that she would like to rescind her resignation as she has enjoyed working with the students and staff in the Palestine-Wheatley School District and that she would like to continue working here in the district. She is a retired teacher from Forrest City.”

Estes continued, “When I first called her, she told me ‘no thank you’ and that she would like to remain retired. However, she then called me the next day and told me she felt like she should help us out because I sounded

desperate. She told me she would give me the first nine weeks’ and after the first nine weeks’ she told me she would stay until Christmas."

According to Estes, the district is allowed to use elementary and secondary school emergency relief funding to purchase two new buses and security cameras for inside school buildings.

"It has been about eight years since we purchased a 'new to us' bus," said Estes. "These buses have air conditioning which could slow the spread of Covid by improving the air quality in the buses. I also would like to purchase security cameras for inside the school buildings to improve our ability to contact trace students who have come in contact with someone who tests positive for Covid."

Board members approved the purchases.