Board approves $676,113 and $156,218 payments for Tower Park/Highlands Athletic Complex

FORT THOMAS — The Fort Thomas Independent Board of Education approved two pay applications Thursday related to the Tower Park/Highlands Athletic Complex and received a project progress update.

The board approved pay application number 16 to Morrell Construction for $676,113.40. Speaker 1 moved to approve and Speaker 2 seconded; the board voted by voice and the chair said, “Motion carries.”

The board also approved pay application number 7 to Regular Blacktop for $156,218.30. Speaker 4 moved and Speaker 3 seconded; the motion passed by voice vote.

In a facilities report before the votes, Speaker 4 said the video board is installed, the storage building footers are in place and the field house padding, training room and multipurpose room finishes are near completion. “The flooring is about wrapped up in the multipurpose room,” Speaker 4 said, describing multiple subcontractors working on electrical and finishing work at the site.

Officials discussed remaining checklist items needed for opening, including server and security integration, badge access and temporary signage to communicate community access. Speaker 7 said the site is expected to be open from dawn to dusk once operational and urged restrictions such as no bikes, scooters, skateboards or dogs to preserve the facility.

The pay applications were described in the meeting as progress payments tied to current subcontractor work and to finalizing phase 1 retainage. The board did not record roll-call vote tallies in the transcript; each action was approved by a verbal voice vote and announced as carried.

Next steps discussed included final connections for building systems, coordination with district IT and signage to notify the public about opening status. The board scheduled further communications with the SID and contractor teams to confirm the timeline before the grand opening/community celebration referenced by district staff.