Local school board weighs options on sports-related issues at monthly meeting

Several sports-related items consumed much of the agenda at Tuesday night's meeting of the Dexter Board of Education.

Presiding over the meeting initially was Board Vice President Rick Williams while President Kevin Bishop and Board Member Mark Nea filled obligations at a middle school event. Following routine opening business, Williams announced that one of the items on the agenda had been removed. That was a request by high school girls' coach, Chad Allen, to benefit from the sale of concessions during the summer's Rib City Shootout activities that are held at the Bearcat Event Center.

Since 2010, Allen has rented the BEC to hold the event, at which basketball players and teams from a five-state area compete. In 2014, 300 teams paid to take part in the Rib City Shootout.

Proceeds from the concession stand at the Shootout have historically gone to help fund Dexter High School's Project Prom, but Allen had put in a request for board members to consider having the concessions go to the the Shootout proceeds instead. The request was pulled from the agenda at some point on Tuesday prior to the meeting.

Board Member Bob Thrower questioned Williams as to whether the issue would be discussed at a later date, to which Williams replied that, "Coach Allen has decided to withdraw his complaint."

It was decided to discuss the policy regarding the proceeds "down the road."

Also early on the agenda was a formal complaint regarding a high school baseball field -- or rather lack of a high school baseball field.

Local residents Ken Rinehart and David Keathley came before the board with a three-page bound document and several photos of the baseball field at East City Park which currently serves as the DHS playing field. Each board member had been supplied with the documents.

"It is one of the worst -- if not the worst -- high school baseball fields in southeast Missouri," the complaint read.

"This is as much a proposal as it is a complaint," Keathley told the board.

The two attest that Dexter was scheduled to play their first home game at 4 p.m. on March 23, but that as of noon on play day, the field had not been touched since the previous fall.

"The game had to be cancelled for that day," said the pair. "Preparation began around 3 p.m. that same day, and the field was not by any means playable."

During one game, Rinehart said, "We actually had a player from another team who had to be carried off the field with an injured ankle because he stepped into a mole hole on the field."

It was also noted that the DHS baseball record for the 2015 year is 11-14, with only four of the games played at home. The record at home is 3-1.

"Last year, Dexter played three home games away because the opposing team's fields were playable when Dexter's was not," the complaint reads.

As of the date the complaint was written, the local team was forced to cancel or play away five home games because of the field's condition while other area schools were playing on their fields, according to the complaint.

What Rinehart and Keathley propose is for the Dexter School District to build its own high school baseball field on campus. The second proposal is for the school to upgrade the current T.S. Hill Middle School baseball field located on Grant Street across from the city library, including putting the existing lights into working order.

Additionally, the pair asked that the district upgrade the small field beside the middle school baseball field on Grant to be a quality softball field.

Finally, it was suggested that in the interim of building a field for Dexter High School, a liaison should be appointed to work with the Park and Rec personnel to "better prepare and upkeep the current playing field."

The field is maintained by the Dexter Park and Recreation Board.

According to Park and Rec Director Jamie Rowe, the department brought in several loads of dirt this year to improve the field.

"But we had all that late snow and then several inches of rain. We had box-bladed the field to allow for the freeze and thaw to help shape the field, but the extremely wet spring really worked against us," she noted.

Rowe said it is always the department's goal to have the fields outfitted for the first day of spring practice, but that this year was an exceptionally difficult one.

Rowe also confirmed that moles have been a problem on the playing field.

"We're addressing that issue as well," she confirmed Thursday.

Williams told Rinehart and Keathley their proposal was "duely noted" following their presentation. Contacted Wednesday, Board President Kevin Bishop said, "We are not in a position to act on anything right now."

Track and Field

Proposal

Another proposal came before the board by an existing coach at the high school level. Leonard Morse teaches high school science and English, and in 2012 took over the duties of coaching high school cross country. He appeared before the board Tuesday night to request the formation of a cross county team at the middle school level.

"We have arguably the most difficult district in the state," Morse told board members. "We are definitely running against some of the best competition around. The other schools in our district start cross country track at the middle school level."

Morse explained the disadvantage he has in establishing a team for competition with no experience versus other district teams whose students have been running for two years.

"I'd like to be able to close the gap on that by having a middle school program for seventh and eighth grade, both boys and girls."

The cost of adding the cross country team is estimated to be about $1,300, which would include additional fees from the district to be paid to participate in six meets. No extra coaching fees are attached to the added program. Participation by middle school students would be in eight events, two of which are hosted by Dexter. The proposal was to establish the team for the 2015-16 school year.

After some discussion, Morse was encouraged to proceed with recruitment efforts at the middle school level while the board garners more feedback regarding the proposal. Morse was encouraged to attend the June 29, 2015, meeting of the board for potential approval of his proposal.

The final sports-related issue was brought up later in the nearly two-hour session of the board when Williams was asked to report on the formation of a Planning Committee to finalize specifics regarding the sale of memorial stones and brick.

A full article regarding the Planning Committee appeared in the May 20 edition of The Daily Statesman.