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Charger success spurs athletic facilities talk
BY CHARLES GARRATT • STAFF WRITER
 | | Bath School superintendent Dr. David Smith presents a mounted gavel to outgoing school board member Kaye May in recognition of her service the past four years. May was defeated by Dreama Burns for the Millboro district seat and served as chair of the board the past year. (Recorder photos by Charles Garratt) |
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WARM SPRINGS - There was plenty of praise for Bath high school athletes this week, and plenty of concern among citizens and officials as to how best to improve the facilities the students need. Following the Charger football team's terrific season, Bath school board members seemed poised to start tackling the talks about athletic buildings, stands, bleachers and equipment.
From the beginning of the closed meeting at 5:30 p.m. to the end of the budget work session five-and-a-half hours later, the Bath County School board marked the last regular meeting for two members and the beginning of a new budget cycle for the new board.
The board met at the high school with dinner provided by the school cafeteria staff. The main meeting was held in the library following a closed session and tour of the renovations. Superintendent Dr. David Smith told the board contractors are on schedule to turn over the renovated first floor of the building on Dec. 15 as planned.
 | | Cedar Creek district school board member Eddie Ryder (right) served as president of the Virginia School Boards Association for 2006-07. Dr. David Smith presented Ryder a plaque in the shape of Virginia in recognition of his service to VSBA and the contribution his service to VSBA made to Bath County. Ryder recognized the BCHS band for its excellent performance at the VSBA convention last month. |
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A service will be hired to strip, seal and wax the floors on the ground level before school personnel clear the second floor in preparation for renovations, Smith said. Classes will continue to be held in trailers and on the first floor of the building through the rest of the year.
At the beginning of the meeting, Smith recognized BCHS athletes for an outstanding year. Board members joined in congratulating the football, volleyball and crosscountry teams.
Smith read a resolution of appreciation for Sarah Redington, who served the Valley Springs District for seven years as a school board member before resigning last De- cember. Departing board members Kaye May and Kay Hicklin were also recognized and given parting mementoes. Both served one term.
 | | Dr. David Smith presented a plaque and clock to Sarah Redington Tuesday night at the regular monthly meeting of the school board. Redington resigned from the Valley Springs district seat last year after many years on the board. |
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Cedar Creek member Eddie Ryder was given a special recognition plaque for his service as president of the Virginia School Boards Association for the past year. The board said Ryder's service brought honor and prestige to Bath County.
Locker rooms and stands - what
athletes need
The most contentious item of the evening came during the second public comment period. About 35 students, citizens and school attended.
Robert Plecker asked about hot water in the locker room showers.
Maintenance superintendent Kirby Mottley reported the showers had been tested earlier on Tuesday and 110-degree water was now flowing. He added additional problems may arise during the renovations but the situation would continue to be monitored.
 | | "I'm going to now have time," said Kay Hicklin as she displayed the clock and plaque she received for her four years of service on the Bath school board. Hicklin decided not to run for re-election to the Williamsville seat. Joyce Hevener will serve beginning in January. (Recorder photos by Charles Garratt) |
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From there discussion moved to the condition of the football field at BCHS and why the state semi-final game had to be moved to Alleghany High School.
This is not the first time the regional or state football game has been moved to Alleghany when the facilities at Bath were determined to be inadequate.
In 1991 and 1995, Bath played a post-season game at Alleghany and went on to win the state championship.
But the majority of the speakers were concerned about the game last weekend - why it was moved and what the board planned to do to upgrade Bath's facility.
Smith had distributed to board members just before the meeting a 35-page document from VHSL detailing the requirements for post season facilities for all sports. The document is available online at www.vhsl.org/more.htm. Click the "Facilities Requirements" link on the menu list on the left of the page to download the PDF document.
The new regulations were put in place this year, Smith said, and unlike previous years, VHSL was firm on the regulations and made no exceptions. According to Smith, Bath would have needed 2,000 seats and appropriate parking to host the game.
While the school board's public comment period is normally limited to comment and questions by citizens, the sports facility issue quickly turned into a dialogue between residents, Smith, and board members despite chair Kaye May's attempts to limit the discussion.
May pointed out the board and school staff had done everything they could to keep the game in Bath. The board had only just received the VHSL document and was not prepared to discuss future plans, she added.
While some comments focused on what happened and pushed the board for commitments to the future, the board and other speakers focused toward finding solutions. Board member Barbara Waldeck said supervisors only have so much money and the much-needed renovations to the high school had to be paid for with a loan. "They can only stretch these dollars so far," Waldeck explained.
The request for new bleachers has been in the capital improvement plan and Waldeck said "in a few short weeks we go begging" to the supervisors for capital improvement money for projects, including bleachers.
Waldeck said there were a lot of questions that needed to be answered about sports facility needs and, "I don't have answers," she said.
Teacher and coach Vicki Smith pointed out the need for an area on the visitor's side of the field for cheerleaders. She said the current situation is dangerous.
She also said perhaps the new VHSL post-season regulations are wrong. She suggested the board stand up for the small school systems. "Are they going to keep on throwing things at us?" she asked.
Kathy Barden, former board member and mother of two BCHS football players, including this year's quarterback, said, "I know as a former board member, you members would have done anything you could" to keep the semifinal game in Bath.
The proactive thing to do, Barden suggested, was to lobby the Virginia School Boards Association to lobby VHSL. School boards of small school systems need to unite, she said.
BCHS principal Pete Pitard suggested everyone attend the Bath booster club meeting. The club is for all sports, Pitard said, and had recently pledged $5,000 toward new bleachers.
The club will meet Dec. 17 in the portable classroom used for English classes in the high school parking lot at 7 p.m.
Budgeting begins
Newly elected board members Dreama Burns and Joyce Hevener were on hand for their first taste of the long budget process at the school board level.
Four school staff presented budget requests for the coming year: Paul Lancaster, technology; Les Balgavy, Valley Elementary School; Lumina Shifflett, food services; Martha Reish, Millboro Elementary School.
The session was postponed by snow until Dec. 13 at 5:30 in the school board office when the budget work session and presentations will continue.
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