Mustang football fans will now be able to enjoy the game in comfort. IN OTHER NEWS:
USD 257 Board of Education members gave the go-ahead Monday night for Doug Kerr, Iola High School football coach, to pursue purchase of seat-back chairs for the stadium in Riverside Park.
Kerr said after attending a football conference in Kentucky he and his coaching staff learned of ways to help raise funds for the IHS football program.
He proposed the program purchase 100 21-inch wide raised back chairs for the stadium. The chairs will be in a reserved section for fans who pay an additional fee to sit there.
“A normal ticket price to watch the game is $4. The reserved seating would charge $6,” Kerr said.
The money will go to tasks such as painting the stadium and fixing spots on the field. Klein Lumber has offered to donate hardware necessary to install the chairs. The seats could be removed and installed in another stadium if the district chooses to build a new one in the future.
The stadium, which was built in the 1930s as a Works Progress Administration project, has seen better days. When it rains, it pours, right into the stadium locker rooms and restrooms.
“The locker room flooding is something we better look at soon for the health of our kids,” board member Buck Quincy said.
Superintendent of Schools Jack Koehn agreed there is much work to be done inside the stadium, which could cost the district thousands of dollars. Also, since the stadium is in a flood zone building a separate building for locker rooms might be tricky if not impossible.
Scott Stanley, director of maintenance and operations, agreed.
“When we flood and pump it out, we flood the rodeo grounds and that floods out Columbia Metal,” Stanley said. “I completely agree something does need to be done but where does the money come from to fix it? I can’t justify taking money from somewhere like attendance centers.”
The board will discuss the flooding issue at a later date as well as look into forming a community involvement committee for the district. Koehn will contact Greenbush Education Service Center to form a community committee that will look at Iola’s facilities and make a future plan for USD 257’s growth and needs.
— In the month of June the summer food program served 2,047 free breakfasts, 3,152 free lunches and 505 paid adult lunches.
— Tony Leavitt will continue as school board president and Doug Dunlap will serve as vice president.
— Board meetings will still be scheduled for 6 p.m., on the second and fourth Monday of the month at the district office, 305 N. Washington.
— The board hired Chris Weide as the high school’s head softball coach and Becky Carlson as the assistant softball coach. It also approved the separation of employment of Essence Owens as a paraprofessional.
Board OKs football stadium seating upgrades
