Quality of Life Projects continue, contingency plan for graduation in place

There is no longer a grass field at J.E. Hot O’Brien Field, Holtville or Elmore County High School’s football fields.

They are all being replaced with turf as part of the Elmore County Commission’s Quality of Life Projects. Currently, there are red mounds of dirt at Hot O’Brien and Tallassee City Schools. Superintendent Dr. Brock Nolin is working on a contingency plan for graduation, which is normally at the football stadium.

“You hope for the best and plan for the worst,” Nolin said. “I have been involved in projects with delays before. I went ahead and made a plan with an alternate location for graduation just in case the project is delayed. You are dealing with an outdoor project with ground work and can’t predict the weather.”

Plans are still to have the graduation ceremony at J.E. Hot O’Brien on May 23 or 24, if weather causes a last-minute delay. But in case the new artificial turf isn’t ready, Nolin secured the stadium at the Wetumpka Sports Complex as a backup.

At the same time, contractors have been working on the fields at Holtville and Elmore County high schools. Those schools also received turf diamond fields for baseball and softball. Both of those fields were completed in time to be used this season. To save funds, contractors kept their equipment at the schools to start work on the football fields.

“Hopefully as the county projects are completed, more machinery and manpower will be coming to our site to push the project,” Nolin said. 

The project at Holtville hit a temporary hiccup as contractors damaged an unknown sewer line. 

“It has been repaired,” Elmore County Schools superintendent Richard Dennis said. “Contractors will come back at a later date and install a new line behind the pressbox and not under the field. They will then fill the current line with foam when it is no longer needed to prevent it from collapsing.”

Dennis said those fields would be ready for graduation for Holtville and Elmore County high schools. Elmore County chief operating officer Richie Beyer added more quality of life projects are in the plans.

“We are working on video boards at the three schools in Eclectic, Holtville and Tallassee with shared funding,” Beyer said.

Nolin said the Tallassee Board of Education has approved about $85,000 for the project with the county funding the remainder. As part of this year’s Elmore County Commission budget, a new rodeo arena was ordered and recently delivered to the Wetumpka Sports Complex. Beyer said a climbing tower for the Stanhope Elmore High School JROTC program is also being planned.

“They go to competitions everywhere,” Beyer said. “This will allow them to host competitions bringing in teams who will stay and eat in Elmore County. It will also pave the way for training for first responder training with climbing gear.”

Beyer said other quality of life projects include about $15,000 in tarps and equipment to help maintain the infield at Bazemore Field at Wetumpka High School. The baseball and softball fields at the Wetumpka Sports Complex will be converted to turf. He said they are the last of the quality of life projects in this cycle. Plans are well underway to expand the boat ramps and parking at Kowaliga on Highway 63.

“We are preparing to go to the bond market to get the final funding for these projects and the community center in Tallassee,” Beyer said.

Nolin said Tallassee City Schools has put its track project on hold for the time being as the bid costs were too high the first time.

“We have put the brakes on it right now,” Nolins said. “I’m expecting more funds from the state. Hopefully we will be able to rebid it and do the whole package of bathrooms and fencing instead of cutting back and (getting a) value engineer.”