Turf Project Main Focus of Monday's Special USD 407 BOE Meeting

The Russell County USD 407 Board of Education held a special meeting on Monday evening, August 3 at the District Administration Office in Russell.

The artificial turf project currently in progress at Shaffer Football Field was the main topic of discussion.

Just over a week ago, ATG Sports began the work of removing the old turf and discovered the base beneath the turf was not properly stabilized when it was originally installed in 2014. After meeting with ATG and a third-party consultant, USD 407 Superintendent Jordan Perez recommended to the board the base be completely replaced.

Board members discussed several alternate options, but in the end felt the best long-term solution was to replace the base beneath the new turf.

The motion passed 7-0.

The estimated cost to remove and replace the base is $886,875, bringing the total estimated cost of the turf replacement project to $1,413,175.

Perez mentioned to the board that the district is filing a claim with FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Agency) to determine if additional funding may be available to assist with the cost of the project since it was damaged by June storms.

The board also discussed concerns that the original installation may not have been completed in accordance with specifications and decided to forward all documentation from the original turf installation to the district's attorney for review to determine if legal action may be taken.

Also Monday, Perez announced the district's annual convocation will be held at the Dream Theater on Friday, August 7. All staff members will attend.

Following an executive session, the following new contract and work agreements were announced:

New Contracts
1. Victoria Grant - RJSHS Musical Director

Work Agreements
1. Desiree “Abby” Rahe - Suburban Driver for USD 407
2. Melanee Ford - Custodian at BES/DO