of a home mortgage, you would make the payments on your house and the government would send you a check for the interest,” says district Chief Financial Offi cer Lisa Morstad. “Last year we got $1.7 million of that back in interest rebates on the bonds for the com- plete high school project and that included some of the money we used for the athletic upgrades.” Morstad says the total cost of
the athletic facilities renovation was about $6 million. That doesn’t include the fi eldhouse, which was priced as part of the construction on the school. On top of the property tax in- crease, Gebhart was able to raise close to $1 million through advertis- ing to pay for some key phases of the facilities renovation. The large video scoreboard above the basket- ball court features several advertise- ments from local businesses that Gebhart says almost entirely cov- ered the cost.
The same can be said of the turf
on the football fi eld. The athletic department sold “Legacy Logos,” which are 7-by-10 foot panels along the sideline and in front of the home and visitor bleachers. The advertising squares cost $60,000 and can be paid for over the 10- year life of the fi eld. “We were able to offer them a package where they could have 10
The school has its own indoor practice facility and a fi tness center for staff and alumni.
years to pay it out,” Gebhart says. “When you say this logo is going to cost you $60,000, you think nobody is going to do it, but then you think $6,000 a year for the next 10 years, that’s a little bit easier to digest.” The school also sold the naming rights to the fi eld. “Lewis Automotive stepped up with a major contribution,” Gebhart says. “Now, every schedule or article that includes the name of the fi eld, will include Lewis Automotive, so we felt like that was an incentive.”
Face To Face With Barry Gebhart
Garnering Support One of the most diffi cult tasks in any taxpayer-funded capital project is getting the public to support it. And while the community was initially ap- prehensive, it started to get on board once the school district came up with a more comprehensive plan. Since the tax increase was ap- proved and the majority of the ath- letic facilities renovation complet- ed, Thomas says she hasn’t received any negative feedback. Most of the public understood there was a need, especially with the ninth grade com- ing to the school. But that didn’t keep school offi cials from making a strong effort to keep the public in- formed on what was happening. Morstad estimated she had taken part in about 27 different events or- ganized to discuss the project with the community. “The second time around it was
Go to
coachad.com and read the digital edition of this issue to see an exclusive interview with Fayetteville High School Athletic Director Barry Gebhart.
30 May/June 2013
really positive,” she says. “The fi rst time around we got some of these stimulus bonds and we didn’t have enough time to educate our public about what they were, so when the millage failed, we decided we had to do something.” The school district distributed fl i- ers and continuously posted photos and updates on its website, and ad- ministrators believe that transparen- cy contributed to growing support. Equally important was the school making sure it was building facili- ties that would have some sort of ef- fect on not only the students but the community as well. “It’s especially important when you’re asking for a millage in- crease,” Thomas says. “We wanted to be transparent, maintain good communication and keep the pub- lic apprised.” Gebhart says the athletic facili- ties renovations touch all programs except bowling and swimming. The bowling team uses a local business and the swimming team uses a pool at the University of Arkansas. Dur- ing the day, Gebhart says the track around the football fi eld is open to anyone in the community looking
coachad.com
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58