Cleveland County Board approves Kings Mountain stadium partnership, adds $750,000 over time to SCIF allocation

The Cleveland County Board of Education on July 21 approved a partnership with the Kings Mountain Touchdown Club to renovate the stadium and build a new press box at Kings Mountain High School, voting 8-0 to commit existing SCIF grant funds and to allocate an additional $750,000 to be paid over multiple years from district long-term capital funds.

Board action came after presentations from district staff and the contractor representing the Touchdown Club outlining a campus-wide plan that would replace wooden bleachers, improve ADA access in the stadium and parking, add seating connected to the press box, and include ancillary work such as a new wrestling building on the campus. District officials said the total project cost is estimated at more than $4,000,000.

The board’s vote followed prior committee review. The project concept was approved by the Safety and Operations Committee and then considered by the Finance and Personnel Committee, which recommended proceeding to the full board. Aaron Bridges, chair of the Finance and Personnel Committee, moved the motion; Walter Sperling seconded it, and the motion carried 8-0.

Why this matters: the work ties to a previously awarded SCIF grant (the district described the grant under the name "SCIF"), for which $1,100,000 had been budgeted for press boxes and other stadium infrastructure. District staff told the board inflation and higher construction costs since the original 2021 grant award created a shortfall. The board agreed to permit the Touchdown Club to move forward with campus enhancements, to use the $1,100,000 as originally budgeted out of the SCIF funds with payments made as work is completed, and to provide $750,000 in additional district support repaid over several years.

Details of the agreement and timeline presented to the board included: - Estimated total project cost: in excess of $4,000,000 (district estimate). - SCIF allocation previously budgeted for these projects: $1,100,000. - Additional district contribution requested: $750,000, to be paid back over multiple years from long-term capital funds. - Work start: district staff and contractor said construction would begin after football season; district officials emphasized that the lower-bowl seating must be finished before Kings Mountain High School’s graduation to accommodate the Class of 2026. - Scope: new metal-style bleachers to replace wooden bleachers, ADA upgrades to seating and parking, added seating adjacent to the press box, improved concessions and restrooms, and a new wrestling building between the pool and tennis facility on campus.

District staff said partnering with the Touchdown Club would enable more scope and safety upgrades than the district could fund alone. Officials noted that some stadium lighting work had been completed on other campuses under the same SCIF program and that the increased scope reflects inflation and higher construction costs since the grant application was written in 2021.

Discussion and conditions: board members stressed transparency about funding sources and public messaging. Committee chairs told the full board that committees had vetted the concept and would leave financing details to the Finance and Personnel Committee and the full board to approve. District staff said the $1,100,000 SCIF dollars would be spent first, with the additional $750,000 layered on to resolve the funding gap created by cost increases.

Next steps: district staff and the contractor said they would begin the permitting and construction process if the board’s approval holds, with sequencing intended to protect graduation seating needs. The board did not attach additional conditions beyond standard documentation and construction oversight requirements.

Ending: The board’s unanimous vote authorizes district staff to proceed with the partnership and to obligate the SCIF funds and the additional $750,000 as described. District staff said they would return with standard documentation and construction progress reports as work proceeds.