Board presses staff for timeline on DeBryn stadium repairs and lighting ahead of fall athletics

During the June 10 meeting Roswell ISD board members sought clarity on the status of DeBryn stadium repairs and the district's contingency plans for middle- and high-school athletics.

A board member asked whether the stadium lights had been checked and who controls activation. Staff replied they would "double check and see what, what, where, when, and who can get that going so that we can check to see if the lights work." Board members and staff discussed that volunteers and district electricians had helped clear and repair fields after flooding and that power arrangements involve the city and contracted providers.

Board members pressed for a timeline for readiness. A staff presenter said, "our hope right now is that we can get from everything that we were told that even with new dirt, new seed, new grass, that we would have the ability to play there towards the August, early September." The board requested a written contingency plan for fall schedules and asked that staff provide an update at the next board meeting.

The discussion also revisited earlier cleanup work performed by volunteers and district contractors. A board member asked whether contingency plans existed in case fields were not ready for the start of school; staff said middle-school football had been played at alternate sites in past seasons and reiterated an intent to have the field playable by August/early September.

The board asked that maintenance staff report back on light activation authority, timing for field restoration and any short-term venue plans for middle- and high-school practices and games.