NISD calls Dec. 11 election

By Hank Hargrave

As expected, Navasota ISD trustees on Monday called a second school bond election for Saturday, Dec. 11, with the ballot set to include three propositions.

The measure was approved by a unanimous 6-0 vote. NISD trustee Marcelo Rosario was not present for Monday's called meeting.

During a Monday, Sept. 27, workshop session to discuss the district's next move following the failure of a proposed $25 million bond issue in Saturday, Sept. 11, election balloting, trustees agreed they should put Phase I of district's long-range master plan before voters "as soon as possible." This time, however, rather than an all-or-nothing proposal, trustees agreed the ballot should be broken down into specific propositions.

NISD Superintendent David Faltys, during Monday's called meeting, outlined a ballot proposal in which three propositions will be listed on the Saturday, Dec. 11, ballot. Proposition 1 will deal solely with the issue of a new elementary school being built in the Plantersville/Stoneham area, and consolidation and upgrades of the John C. Webb Elementary and Navasota Primary School campuses. Cost of Proposition 1 is estimated at $18 million.

Proposition 2 will deal with work scheduled to be done at Navasota High School, including new cafeteria seating and construction of a new band hall and competition gymnasium. Cost of Proposition 2 is estimated at $5 million.

Proposition 3 will deal with the issue of a proposed new football stadium at NHS Cost of Proposition 3 is estimated at $2 million.

During Monday's discussion, trustees said one of the reasons cited by some voting against the proposed bond issue on Saturday, Sept. 11, had to do with sentimental feelings towards Brule Field. The facility features rock bleachers, and was built by the Works Progress Administration.

Faltys said many complaints have been lodged in recent weeks concerning the Navasota Rattler football schedule, which included games in 2004 in Gatesville and Tyler, where the Rattlers traveled to play Texarkana Liberty Eylau. On the Tyler trip, for example, students had to leave at 11:45 a.m. that Friday morning, and didn't get home until 2:30 a.m. that Saturday morning.

"And the times were similar for the Gatesville trip," he said.

Faltys said part of the reason cited by two schools originally listed on the Rattler schedule - Brenham and Friendswood - for pulling out of scheduled games had to do with stadium conditions, specifically the lack of a fieldhouse for dressing, suspect restroom conditions, etc.

Many have also asked if Brule Field could be renovated and continued to be used as a varsity football facility. Faltys said a Brule Field renovation poses other types of problems. For starters, if renovation work costs exceed 50 percent of the facility's appraised value, under the federal Americans with Disabilities Act, Brule Field would have to be brought into full ADA compliance.

"That's the way the federal law reads," he said.

Such a move would require the current stadium be reworked to include wheelchair ramps, handicapped-accessible seating, etc. The rock bleachers on the press box side, as well as the press box itself, would have to be removed and the whole seating bank moved over, cutting down the amount of parking space currently available.

Installing a regulation track at Brule Field would be questionable, as there may or may not be adequate room, Faltys said. And even if there were room for a track to be installed, field events would have to be conducted at another location, as there certainly isn't sufficient room to add field event stations such as long jump pits, pole vault pits, etc.

Faltys said John Haugen of Natex Architects, the company that helped NISD draft its master plan, worked numbers to bring Brule Field up to speed. Without a fieldhouse, the pricetag comes to $2.1 million. With a fieldhouse, the estimated figure rises to at least $2.6 million.

"And that's not for a Taj Mahal fieldhouse. Columbus ISD just built a new fieldhouse, and they budgeted $800,000 for theirs," the NISD superintendent said.

NISD board president Linda McLain said she was struck by the fact that, in order to renovate Brule Field for continued varsity football use, the rock bleachers would have to be removed in order to achieve ADA compliance.

"You're destroying the very thing folks are sentimental about," she said.

Building a new stadium on the NHS campus would be less expensive, plus there would be adequate parking. Faltys said, to accommodate 4,500 fans, there are currently 1,200 parking spaces available at NHS and nearby Navasota Jr. High School. That's sufficient parking area, with an estimated three fans per car, for 3,600 fans.

"And you could still park cars along Rattler Drive, and on the grassy areas extending down to the marquee," he said.

NISD trustee Chuck Frede said that, in his six years on the board, discussion has focused on scaling back Brule Field's use to an appropriate level. If a new stadium facility were constructed, Faltys said about $75,000 to $100,000 would be spent on Brule Field to make it ideal for use in junior high football and varsity soccer.

"In my six years, I have heard no cost analysis, ideas, etc. where Brule Field would have a more expanded use. If anything, discussion has focused on a more limited use. I think these numbers further illustrate what we already know, that Brule Field just doesn't have a place as an up-to-date facility," he said.

NISD trustee Hollis Hood said he wishes Brule Field could be renovated, but the numbers simply don't make it feasible.

"We'd have to spend more money, and would have something less than what we currently have in the end," he said.

NISD trustee Joe Falco III said he understands folk's sentiment about Brule Field. However, he said today's NISD students have a right to their own form of sentiment.

"Someone said this to me, but I wholeheartedly agree with it - in order to preserve our memories, we're sacrificing the memories our kids could be making. And our children deserve better," he said.

Following the discussion, trustees voted unanimously in favor of calling for the Saturday, Dec. 11, election. Special permission will have to be sought from the U.S. Department of Justice, as Saturday, Dec. 11, is a non-uniform election date. School boards are allowed to conduct one election on a non-uniform date per biennium.

"A revised ballot, coming on the heels of the September election, our legal counsel has indicated it should be approved," he said.

Early voting will begin on Wednesday, Nov. 24 - the day before Thanksgiving. Following the Thanksgiving break, early voting would resume on Monday, Nov. 29.

Several early voting opportunities will also be scheduled, such as in conjunction with Christmas programs, holiday band concerts, soccer matches, fall athletic banquets, etc.

An early voting opportunity is also being scheduled in conjunction with the Grimes County Chamber of Commerce's night Christmas parade, scheduled for Thursday, Dec. 2.