nearly two years ago, is almost complete. The new basketball arena seats 2,400 people and hanging high above center court is a $225,000 scoreboard with two large monitors funded almost entirely by sponsors. The old gymnasium was about 51 years old and Thomas says the ceil- ing was beginning to cave in. The perimeter of the basketball arena includes a 200-meter track, a weight room with all new equip- ment and a trophy room. Adjacent to the main court is a practice gym- nasium where junior varsity teams often play. As if the fi eldhouse wasn’t im- pressive enough, it also was con- structed with a dance studio and a wrestling gym. Athletic Director Barry Gebhart says wrestling be- came a varsity sport in Arkansas only about six years ago and before that wrestling clubs would practice in cafeterias. The district also built a training room. Gebhart says the school plans to start a class for stu- dents aspiring to become trainers. The state-of-the-art facilities open
doors that didn’t even exist several years ago, and it’s brought Gebhart and the student body a great deal of pride. Fayetteville High School hosted the state basketball tourna- ment this year, and the new arena impressed visitors. “Anytime you get something
new, it’s just human tendency to want to show it off,” Gebhart says. “It’s just something that our com- munity takes pride in. It makes you feel good when people walk into your facilities and they’re in awe with how nice it is. That resonates throughout our community.” The basketball arena might be considered the biggest spectacle, but the project doesn’t end there. The district built eight new tennis courts complete with a locker room and coaches offi ces. Nearby are two softball fi elds Gebhart hopes will soon lure tournaments to the city. One of the fi elds is equipped with lights purchased for about $500
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from the University of Arkansas, which sold them from an old ten- nis facility. The lights sat for several years before the district found use for them, but the purchase saved a signifi cant amount of money. Just down the road sits the district’s new nine-lane track, complete with a new press box and bleachers. Next door is the alternative learning school, which will one day be renovated into
We went to our coaches, community and school board and said this is our vision, this is what we can do and it will touch every athlete in the school ...
“ ”
coaches offi ces, locker rooms, rest- rooms and a concession area. Gebhart consulted Olympic triple jump gold medalist and University of Arkansas graduate Mike Conley, who recom- mended the long jump box be moved closed to the bleachers so spectators would have a better view of the action without having to walk to the other side of the track. The school’s football stadium re-
ceived new turf, largely funded by advertising revenue. Gebhart still hopes to construct a second conces- sions pavilion and storage space in the stadium.
The biggest renovation still on
the horizon is the baseball fi eld, which will be entirely outfi tted with artifi cial turf. Gebhart hopes that will allow the outfi eld to be used as a practice facility when the ninth grade moves in. It was important for Gebhart and others at Fayetteville High School that the renovation impact as many students as possible. His latest sur- vey showed that 1,300 students
were involved in athletics, and he wanted to make sure every one of them received some sort of benefi t. “We went to our coaches, com- munity and school board and said this is our vision, this is what we can do and it will touch every athlete in the school,” Gebhart says. “Every- one was behind it because it was so massive and so inclusive.”
Financial Support In 2009, a proposed property tax increase that would have paid for a new high school was defeated with about 63 percent of the vote. District offi cials then went back and modi- fi ed their proposal before returning to voters one year later with a new plan. It was approved. Part of the reason for the success the second time was a more detailed plan, but it also was because the dis- trict was asking for less money. The school was funding a signifi cant portion of its project using Qualifi ed School Construction Bonds, a fed- eral stimulus program that allowed the Fayetteville School District to secure a full rebate on the interest paid. Schools qualify for the pro- gram based on the percentage of students on free and reduced lunch. “Basically, the federal govern- ment rebates all the interest back on your bonds, so to use the analogy
ATHLETIC DIRECTOR TAKEAWAYS
• Make a strong effort to educate the public about all aspects of the renovation before and during the process.
• Build partnerships within your community with businesses, schools and residents who have stake in your school.
• Find ways to renovate facilities so the entire student body can get use from them—not just athletes.
May/June 2013 29
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