The Greene County Board of Education took out its checkbook during its June 20 meeting and spent approximately $2,324,000, with the lion’s share going to materials for the new Greene County Elementary School and enhancements for Tiger Stadium.
GCES will receive audiovisual, low-voltage, and theatrical lighting at a cost of $1,250,000, which will be installed in the school as it is built out.
The board also approved the purchase of a new scoreboard for Greene County High School’s Tiger Stadium for $451,926 and a new two-sided marquee for $98,183. The enhancements will be paid for with ESPLOST funds.
The scoreboard comes from an electronics firm called Daktronics in Brookings, South Dakota, and will be constructed and installed by the same company. But it’s much more than a just a scoreboard.
The Daktronics live video display and installation will account for $232,644 of the total cost and include a classroom component. Fans and players will be able to see replays on the big screen, similar to what is done at college football games.
According to Matt Lundberg of Daktronics, the classroom component will allow Greene County High School students to learn marketable skills using the new equipment, such as creating graphic content, which will open doors for them upon graduation.
The BOE is also investing in a state-of-the-art sound system at a cost of $58,760. The system includes a 12-channel audio mixer, CD player, operator accessories case, an announcer’s interface kit, and the trappings that go with it.
Shipping and installation of the scoreboard account for $133,923 of the total price.
Lundberg said Daktronics has done live video displays for the University of Georgia, Auburn University, the University of Alabama, and the Atlanta Falcons.
According to GCSS Communication Coordinator Emily McClure, the marquee and scoreboard should be up and running by the start of football season.
The BOE had already upgraded the football field itself.
According to the BOE website, during its April 18 meeting, the Greene County BOE approved a measure to replace the stadium's turf at a cost not exceeding $994,395, which will also come from ESPLOST funds.
Deluxe Athletics was chosen from three companies submitting proposals to do the work, including Deluxe Athletics (which bid $844,395), Sprinturf (which bid $655,335), and FieldTurf (which bid $886,750).
The website also says that Deluxe Athletics installed the original turf at the Greene County football field, as well as the turf at LOA’s baseball and football fields. Originally installed in 2011, the turf at Tiger Stadium has outlasted the average lifespan of a sports turf playing surface of eight to ten years.
The price rose toward the $1 million mark when School Superintendent Chris Houston mentioned that the pellets used in the original turf tended to get hot.
Boswell said cooling technology could be incorporated at a cost of another $150,000 and suggested that since the track around the football field seemed to be in good shape, the BOE could spend less money on it and focus on the field.
Ultimately, the board seemed less than enthusiastic about that approach, preferring to upgrade everything while Deluxe Athletics was on site.
Because of its time-critical nature, there was an urgency to get that project going, and it has since been completed with positive reviews.
The BOE also approved a purchase totaling approximately $90,000 for teacher laptops to be paid from the ESPLOST fund and Chromebooks for students in an amount not to exceed $250,000.
In addition, the board approved purchasing new kitchen equipment for Greene County High School at a price not exceeding $185,000.
In other business, the BOE:
• Approved the GCSS Organizational Chart for the 2024-25 school year.
• Approved sending resolutions for July and August, which grants the superintendent the power to expend funds from all funds not exceeding one-sixth of the final amended budget for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2025.
• Approved a recommendation to review and receive comments on the solicitations and fundraising policies of the GCSS for a period of 30 days.
• Approved a recommendation to review and receive comments on the parental leave policies of the GCSS for a period of 30 days.