It was reported in the Morning Call sports section today that the NASD will begin construction in the spring to renovate the Football Stadium and install an all weather track like Bethlehem and Allentown (read the article here).
The article states:
Leh Stadium will undergo a major renovation beginning in April, with the key change being the installation of an artificial surface like the ones at J. Birney Crum and Bethlehem Area School District Stadium.
''We hope to have it [the McDonald's All-Star Football Game] back here in 2008,'' said Nazareth A.D. Bob Holland said.
Now I have not been following the NASD meetings as closely as the Borough Council, but my understanding had been that the stadium renovation, track, athletic fields, and athletic complex were not yet approved, only proposed.
This is yet another significant spend on the NASD's part, particularly at a time when the budget projected a 10% increase and they've only been able to reduce that to 8.8% by having a hiring freeze.
Anyone know when this was approved? What it will cost? Anything? Thanks!
12 comments:
renovate a stadium-get a new track---hiring freeze--- hmmm---priorities please? With all 4 of Shafers 1st grade classes over crowded by 15 to 20% over the school boards target of 20 students per teacher we can find $$'s for athletics but not an elementary educator---all of Bushkill and Lower Nazareths elementary schools have the targetted amounts so what gives with Shafer-Boro getting the short end of the stick? at least the crowded end! Reitterate---NASD needs to put our $ where it counts most---in the classroom--- oh and PS Shafer pulled their enrichment program this year---double whammy
I saw the article in the MCall today, but have not heard of any approval as of yet.
I really don't understand. So now we have a hiring freeze, which keeps from replacing and/or adding needed staff to educate our children.
Yet, they are preparing to go ahead with a multi-million dollar project for what? To maybe host the McDonald's game? Give me a break.
Out of control spending, who knows what we are going to get hit with from the new teachers contract, the list goes on.
We need new schools (and not palaces) to ease the overcrowding issues, we need teachers, we need the basics to educate our children.
Spending millions of dollars on the nice to haves is just stupid.
To Anon 8:32
Where I agree completely with you on spending priorities, I'm not sure Shafer is getting the short end of the stick. You only have to take a look at all the portable classrooms at LNES to see that. Where some students didn't even have a homeroom for the first month or so of school and enrollment is over the "cap" the school is supposed to have.
In short, ALL of our elementary schools are in trouble.
Instead of spending all this money on building/repairing a stadium that is already there, build us a new school already. Just a basic school, we don't need to pay for all the trimings.
to anon 8:42
point taken ---all the schools have their issues---my frame of reference is Shafer and when at the school board meeting I see the enrollment sheets by class,grade and school-- but thank you for illustrating we all have needs--what irks me about Shafer is we have the space--it is not an issue of adding mobile classrooms-supposedly we can absorb Tatamy and Stockertown which adds 150+ to Shafer enrollment---so why can't we get another 1st grade teacher to replace the one they pulled last year to put into 2nd grade?--- And when can Low Naz get permenant classrooms? Come to Januarys school board mtg and get your voice heard --I urge you-- and all parents--
If you don't want the facilities go back to the Colonial League. Oh wait, many of them have all weather tracks too. As do every other LVC school.
Your track is an embarrassment and a hazard. Ditto for your field hockey field which has sinkholes. Check out the gym as well. Dank and ill-maintained. But it is fine for wrestling and that is all that matters, right.
I am sure that the numbers issues will be addressed by the redistricting and shuffling. The 5th grade class at Shafer is very large. When this group moves on perhaps one of the teachers will be reassigned down to a lower grade.
The field hockey field has sinkholes.
I'd like to remind everyone that the field hockey field is where the new middle school is being built.
I don't think the gym being dank has anything to do with wrestling (maybe it doesn't matter because they only have something like five home matches this year), it has to do with installing the proper lighting. The gym was renovated what seven years ago? Now we scrap it? Do the job right the first time and you won't have to keep redoing things.
I also don't think you can say facilities dictate the league in which you compete.
It would be great to have everything we want, but we need to have priorities. And the top priorities right now need to be in the classroom. When we have that resolved, lets move on to other areas.
Anon 8:42
I have to agree with you on ALL of us needed to get to the board meeting.
Having space at Shafer is great, but again, you are on point in that it is no good if you don't have a teacher to staff it.
Having a showcase stadium or putting a "historical" facade on a new building seem rediculous when we can't hire enough teachers to staff the classrooms we already have.
We were quick to point out (correctly in my opinion) to the NAEA that what they were asking for was out of line with the current economy. We now need to turn that exact same argument to the District/Board in that with the current state of the economy, they cannot spend as if they have a blank check.
The poing is, where I firmly believe sports are an important part of school, if you don't have the basic schools to provide education in, then they are worthless.
To reiterate the oped from the Express-Times, the public trough is NOT a bottomless pit.
What do you expect the editor of the E-T to say. He lives in Nazareth and kis kids do not go to Nazareth Public Schools. Of course, he doesn't want to pay for something they will never use.
The gym "renovation" seems to consist of putting an over expensive logo but a local, connected designer. The surface itself stinks. Better suited for ice skating than basketball. The "renovation" was basically polishing a turd.
Regardless of where the E-T editors kids go to school, he is very much on point.
Realistically, how many of the students will benefit from a new stadium? A new field hockey field? A new pool?
Then, how many students will benefit from smaller class sizes? More classrooms? More classroom materials?
There is only so much money to spend, unless our tax rates are jacked way up. The only thing I have seen the board make a decision on regarding spending and building have been around non-educational items (the new maintenance facility as an example), yet the decision to build a new school has been dragging on for years now.
I don't degrudge athletes adequate facilities, but when the schools themselves are lacking, they should become secondary in the equation.
I live in the district and my kids attend the public schools. I don't want to see my already high tax rates go even higher when we are not taking care of the basics.
In regards to 8:32, where did you hear the information that Shafer pulled their enrichment program this year?? That is news to me.
» new to the area «
No public approval? No visible budget for the "major renovations"? This wouldn't fly in any business I've ever been involved with. Who's running this carnival?
regarding the gym, they refinished the floor, painted it, installed new lighting, and a new sound system (they also took down all the old banners that were paid for by booster clubs and put knew ones up but only for select reasons/criteria, which was selectively adhered to).
Despite that, the last time I was in there the floor was warped from moisture damage (best guess the roof).
Now the plan is to convert the gym into a library and build a new gym. You have to rip out everything you have including the lockerroom facilities and in its place will be a library. Given the roof situation, you wonder what extra costs will go into replacing it.
I want our athletes to have safe facilities. You don't need the greatest and latest equipment, you need dedicated coaches and athletes.
I practiced in the old wrestling room that was on the old stage in the gym. You wrestled on top of one another and often had to go in groups because not everyone could participate at one time. The junior high has a new room that is much bigger and the HS room was expanded. We had one basket ball court at the HS and one at the Junior high, now we have two at the high school and one at the HS, its better. Not the best, but better.
We need to plan well, maintain what we have, and address the biggest problems before chasing after our dreams of having the best of everything.
Post a Comment