Architect Ben Boggs from Clotfelter-Samokar gave the Pineville Independent  School Board an update on the progress being made on the athletic field during a special called meeting on Monday.

All of the drainage work under the field has been completed and grass was sprigged into the field on July 10. New sidewalks have been laid and all of the concrete work for the new grandstands has been completed. The new bleachers arrived on Monday evening so work putting those in place is underway with the press box expected to be added by the end of the week. Also fencing should start going up around the field in the next few weeks.

The big question for Boggs was whether the field would be usable for the first two home football games on August 23 and August 30. An issue getting the field’s drainage system to feed into the existing city storm water and sewer put the project about a month behind schedule.

“I think if you play you might damage the field pretty bad,” Boggs said. “Unfortunately the field got sprigged about a month late.You can wait and make that decision as time gets closer.”

Superintendent Russell Thompson said he had spoken to Union College and about possibly playing the first two home games there if the new playing surface isn’t ready.

“We do have a Plan B just in case the field is not ready for those first two home games. We have spoken to Union College and have an opportunity to maybe play those first two games there,” he said. “The next home games aren’t until October so we should be fine for those.”

Boggs said the entire project would be completed by October.

The board is also looking into possibly having the existing fieldhouse painted or having some panels added to match the new grandstands and pressbox.

In other business, the board approved renewing a two-year contract with Grace Health to provide school nurses and gave Thompson permission to contract with Cumberland River Comp Care, InTrust, Winds of Change and Grace for mental health counseling services.

“We’re pleased to renew our contract with Grace Health for school nursing for two more years. They’ve done a fantastic job running our clinic here the last couple of years,” Thompson said, adding that he was pleased to be able to contract with up to four mental health counseling services. “We’re looking forward to that so we can offer better mental health opportunities for our students that may need them.”

The superintendent shared that he had reached out to local athletic trainers for Pineville’s sports teams but no bids had been received.

“We’re looking to see if there are any sports training opportunities out there. We would like to offer the best that we can for our athletes,” he said.

The board also approved policy changes for the student handbook that were recommended by principal Dr. Jarryd Boster. Those included having requests for early dismissal submitted in writing, a screening committee for possible KMLF princess candidates, and requiring approval by Boster for any dual enrollment college classes that take the place of required courses. Boster said English 3 and U.S. History cannot be substituted for a dual enrollment course because the content from those classes are tested each year.

Boster also recommended that the school start a wrestling program.

“There is a great interest among our students in the sport and it’s something we can be extremely successful in,” Boster said.

He said the cost for getting the program started would be under $15,000 — about $9,000 for a mat, $4,500 for stipends for a head coach and an assistant and around $1,000 for singlets.

The board was not able to take action on the request because Monday’s meeting was a special called one.

Assistant Principal Michael Wilson provided an update on the professional development the teachers have been participating in over the past few weeks. Those included training on the new CKLA Reading Program for the elementary, iReady training training for the middle school and separate training sessions for ELA teachers with Angela Hildebrand and the Math and Science teachers with the SESC Co-Op. The entire staff attended a session with Gerry Brooks centered around what a school’s culture should look like.

“The principals did a great job reviewing what we’ve done for professional development. I think we’re all set, we do have one position to fill and we’ve got good applicants for that,” Thompson said.

He shared the Opening Day for the staff would be on Thursday (Aug. 1) at 8:30 a.m. with an Open House from 4 to 6 p.m. that afternoon.

“We appreciate and respect everyone who has their students here at Pineville Independent and want them to know that we’re going to work as hard as we can to create the best opportunities possible for those students,” Thompson said.