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Smackover-Norfolk superintendent seeks committee approval for turf project funded by Buckaroo Foundation
Summary
Doug Smith, superintendent of Smackover-Norfolk School District, asked the committee to approve a waiver to install turf on the district’s football field after drainage collapse, describing pledged community fundraising through a Buckaroo Foundation and a proposed 10-year payment plan; the committee approved the waiver.
Doug Smith, superintendent of the Smackover-Norfolk School District, told the committee the district wants to install turf on its football field after a drainage collapse and asked for a waiver to proceed.
Smith said the district has formed a Buckaroo Foundation and reported substantial pledged support (transcript language: “a half $1,000,000, pledged”). He described a 10-year financing plan in which the foundation would make annual payments of $100,000; he said the foundation would cover the turf and the district would cover any shortfall if donors failed to deliver. Smith said he was speaking with potential donors and mentioned discussions with two plants in East Camden.
Committee members probed funding sources and whether education dollars would be used for a football field. A committee member said the foundation would pay for the turf and not state or local tax dollars; the presenter confirmed that is the current plan but said the district has budgeted to cover potential shortfalls.
Committee members confirmed the bidding process produced three bids for the turf work. After brief discussion the committee moved to approve the waiver and passed it by voice vote.
The transcript records the funding plan and pledges as described by Smith; amounts and donor identities are reported in the transcript using the presenter’s phrasing and in some cases the presenter declined to name potential donors.
