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Chester BOE hears W.O. Smith Field proposal

Posted December 17, 2015 10:00 pm

By Pete Spitler Staff Writer

In a football-heavy meeting on Thursday, the Chester District 139 Board of Education heard a presentation from Brad Kueker regarding the soil quality of Chester High School's W.O. Smith Field.

Kueker, owner of Perryville-based Kueker Nursery and Garden Center, noted the soil is very alkaline with an "extremely high" pH level of 7.9, caused by a variety of different chemical applications over the years.

The optimal pH range for most plants is between 5.5 and 7.0. Kueker said the soil has become very tight, with nutrients in the ground unavailable to the plants.

"Moisture doesn't move through the field," Kueker said. "It builds up and almost becomes a toxic soil in that your plants can't grow.

"We have to make that soil where when water falls on top of it, it drains through."

Kueker noted that the grass turf in the center of the field is pretty much gone, while it is thin in other areas of the field.

Combined with the Chester Stingers youth football teams, W.O. Smith Field was the home of nine squads from September through October - not including practices and other Chester High School activities.

Kueker proposed replacing the current grass with NorthBridge Bermuda.

"It's just a lot better turf," he said. "It's more cold hardy, it will green up a lot quicker and stay green longer."

Current sites using NorthBridge include the St. Louis Rams practice facility and several NFL stadiums. Kueker said installation preparation for W.O. Smith Field would be cutting the current grass down and spraying it with Roundup.

"The good thing is (NorthBridge) will compete with whatever is there," he said. "And it will blend in really nicely."

Treatment would also include aeration, fertilizer, gypsum and other amendments to try and break the surface tension.

"You can't over-aerate that field," Kueker said. "If someone wants to do it once a week, that's awesome. That's what that field needs."

Kueker presented the board with some rough cost estimates, including $10,000 to $12,000 for a six-step lawn program that would include applying fertilizer and chemicals.

"What we're really talking about is rebuilding the soil," he said. "The soil is really as bad as you can get to grow turf."

Sprigging the entire field would cost $7,800 for a one-time installation.

Board member Troy Clendenin asked about using sales tax funds for the project. Earlier this fall, the Board of Education approved "licensing" the Cohen Complex for 10 years so that it could use funds generated from the county's 1 percent sales tax increase for an infield renovation project at the facility.

"That will be the key, to get it on a five-year or more plan," said Interim Superintendent Bill Riley.

Board President Mitch Hammel indicated that if the project is approved, the board wants a signed contract between Kueker and the school board for no less than five years.

Kueker said he would bring a contract proposal to the board's January session and work would begin in May, if the project is approved.

The board later tabled - until further notice - an agenda item relating to approving the proposal.

Informational Items:

District Curriculum Director Shirley Stegmann noted that PARCC scores for the 2014-15 school year have come in.

Overall scores were predicted to be low in the test's first year and correcting low math scores will be a point of emphasis for the district moving forward.

Stegmann said that compared to area schools that took the same tests, Chester did pretty well.

Chester Grade School Principal Tim Lochhead noted the most important decision in his 22 years with the district is coming later next year.

"That decision will be picking a series, supplemented with Common Core, for the next three to five years," he said.

Discussion Items:

• The board spent a considerable amount of time discussing a water softener system at Chester Grade School.

Hammel indicated that gym architect Baysinger Architects assumed the school already had a system in place when it designed the cafeteria.

Baysinger noticed that hard water had caused soap residue to form in the dishwasher, which later led to the meeting's agenda item.

"It would be very expensive to put a softener in for the whole school," Riley said.

Hammel said he would discuss the issue with Water Treatment Plant Superintendent Tim Crow.

• Chester High School Principal Dr. Sarah Gass asked for clarification from the board in regard to class scheduling.

Gass, Lochhead, Stegmann, board members Debi Caraway and Clendenin, and several teachers were tabbed by the board in October for a special curriculum/scheduling committee.

Hammel told Gass the board is looking for the difference in staffing and classroom sizes in block scheduling compared to traditional or modified as the district looks to cut costs as part of its deficit reduction plan.

Roundup

• The BOE approved a $3,438 payment to RP Coatings for the removal of dash adhesive on the exterior brick at CGS.

• The BOE approved a $10,980.45 payment to Charles Southern Masonry for tuck-pointing on the brick, with the amount to be deducted from Geisler Roofing's final pay appropriation.

• The BOE accepted sealed bids for surplus inventory.

• The BOE approved the second reading of several board policies.

• The BOE approved a Certificate of Tax Levy for the district in the amount of $2,767,846.

• The BOE approved the abatement of 2015 taxes to be levied to pay the principal and interest on bonds 2013B ($99,387.50) and 2015A ($201,175).

• The BOE approved a change order to MC Electric for an additional fire alarm strobe ($2,055).

• The BOE approved Ben Hunter as CHS boys head track coach.

• The BOE approved a $2/hour stipend for Chris Yankey.

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