Contractor: rain slowed Summertown High football field work but utilities, footings on track

Howard Dawson, a contractor working on the Summertown High School field house, told the Lawrence County Board of Education that persistent rain has limited visible progress since the contract’s January start but core work is advancing.

Dawson said the district and contractor signed a contract Jan. 13 and set a Jan. 15 start date. “Since January 15, we've had about 7 inches of rain, 6.8 inches of rain,” he said, and added the wet weather has made it “almost impossible to do hardly anything.” He reported underground utilities — electrical and water — were installed and that footings have been dug; the team expects block-laying to begin in March.

Why it matters: the board asked for monthly updates so members and constituents can track schedule risks and vendor deliveries tied to athletics timelines.

Board members pressed whether the field house contract covered only the field house or was part of a broader phase. Dawson said the current work is Phase 2 and that Phase 1 is nearly complete; some Phase 1 finish items (paving, final surfacing) are being postponed until heavy equipment completes Phase 2 to avoid rework.

On turf and irrigation, Dawson said a well has been installed to address prior water issues; the district is awaiting a pump. He told the board the sod has no third‑party guarantee. “Most sod, you can't even install it in the winter,” he said; the supplier recommended a variety the contractor called “real good stuff,” but Dawson warned that without water the new sod could still fail.

The board asked that Dawson appear monthly to report progress so the full board is informed and surprised issues are minimized. No formal vote was required during the update.

Provenance: Excerpted from contractor remarks beginning at the contractor update (transcript segment starting ~s:302.275) and concluding at the board’s direction to have monthly updates (transcript segment ending ~s:585.58496).