ASHLAND – The proposed new fieldhouse at Ashland High School and district-wide school security were the key topics of discussion at Ashland City Schools’ board of education meeting Monday.
The district hired VSWC Architects to create a design for the fieldhouse building, and district leaders and community members have raised over $1.3 million in private donations for the project.
The next step in the design-build construction process is for the district to meet with several local contractors March 14 to determine the total project cost and to choose a builder. It is not yet clear how much money the district will contribute to the project. Board member Bryan Lefelhoc indicated fundraising is ongoing.
Lefelhoc, who serves on the board’s buildings and grounds committee, said he invites members of the public to come to the board’s March 12 work session to take part in a discussion about the fieldhouse before the board votes to proceed with the project.
Construction on the fieldhouse is expected to begin this fall.
Board member Jim Wolfe said while he would have appreciated a greater level of transparency from administration and the buildings and grounds committee earlier in the process, he now fully supports the plan.
Though he previously questioned why the district would proceed with the fieldhouse project before renovating the high school, Wolfe said he now believes the district can save money and keep the projects local by pursuing them in this order.
Also during Monday’s meeting, Marrah addressed the issue of school safety.
While the topic has been on the forefront of people’s minds since the Feb. 14 shooting in Parkland, Florida, Marrah assured the board and community the district has been working continuously to maintain and improve school security for years. Ashland has taken a variety of steps, including but not limited to adopting ALICE Active Shooter Response Training and making security updates to building entrances.
Since the Parkland tragedy, Ashland’s police department has increased its presence in the district’s buildings and has posted a school resource officer position. The district has not had a resource officer since 2013.
The district also has recently taken steps to ensure all unattended doors are locked, not only during the school day but also during after-school events.
Marrah said people may be inconvenienced by the changes, but student safety is the district’s greatest concern.
Both Wolfe and board president Will Gravitt echoed that the district is very concerned with school safety and is actively working on security considerations.
The board has gone into executive session several times in the past few months to discuss “specialized details of security arrangements where disclosure of the matters discussed might reveal information that could be used for the purpose of committing or avoiding prosecution for a violation of the law.”
