Mar 13, 2007 By Christine Haines 3 min read

CALIFORNIA – The renovation of Booster Field will appear on next Wednesday’s California Area School Board agenda after members of the public asked the board to show its commitment to the project Monday at the committee-of-the-whole meeting. About 40 area residents attended the meeting, many of them with concerns about the future of the district’s home football field.

“I want to see Booster Field stay at Booster Field. I’m not real interested in spending $4 million for a new stadium at the high school. I’d rather see the district spend less than a million to renovate this field,” said resident Michele Calhoun.

Calhoun said the current option of playing at Adamson Stadium presents problems including the fact that the high school team plays its home games on the artificial turf at the California University of Pennsylvania stadium, but can only practice there once a week.

“The football players don’t feel that it is their home field. It’s really frustrating every year not knowing where we’re going to play ball,” Calhoun said. “It appears you are doing everything you can to sabotage our efforts to renovate Booster Field.”

Several board members responded to Calhoun.

Director John Bayer said that moving to the college field was a step toward renovating Booster Field, since work can’t be done on the field while it is in use by the football team. The high school stopped using Booster Field after the district’s insurance carrier refused to insure it until the open-backed bleachers were made safer.

Bayer noted that the improvements to the bleachers would have triggered the need to bring the rest of the stadium into compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, including constructing handicapped-accessible rest rooms and paving the parking lot.

“At the time the college was our best choice,” said School Director Terri Doman. “You’re right. It’s time to move forward. I think we need to put a motion on the next agenda to renovate Booster Field. Vote it up or vote it down.”

A group of citizens headed by Artie Harris and Gerald “Galvie” Gardner has been asking the district to authorize the renovations so they can move ahead with finding volunteer labor for the project through area unions. Solicitor John Smart said he would look into whether the state Department of Public Education would allow the volunteer labor, since all construction projects must be approved by the state.

In other matters, Dr. R. Tim Marks, the district superintendent, said he is seeking permission form the state to count two teacher in-service days as instructional days so there is no change in the school calendar due to the recent snow days. Marks said that he will look into every possible option to keep graduation on June 1.