McDowell Board OKs $250,000 concrete fund and up to $500,000 for new McDowell High softball facility

The McDowell County Board of Education voted unanimously May 11 to open two new capital projects: a $250,000 fund for districtwide concrete repairs and a capital project not to exceed $500,000 to build a new softball facility at McDowell High School. The board approved both motions by voice vote after brief discussion of scope and financing.

Mr. Marsh, who presented the requests during the meeting, said the $250,000 would support concrete work across the district, with McDowell High School and West McDowell Middle School expected to take the largest shares. “That gives me a little bit of leeway…to be able to go out and get the number of quotes that Mrs. Rampley likes me to have,” he said, describing plans to secure multiple competitive bids.

On the softball project, Marsh described plans for a new facility on existing McDowell High property that would include a press box, locker rooms, restrooms, a therapy/taping room and an indoor hitting and fielding area that could serve multiple sports. “The primary goal will be to give those young ladies something…they have deserved and desperately need,” he said. The motion to open the project for an amount not to exceed $500,000 was made by Mr. Barksdale and seconded by Mr. Abernathy, and passed with nine votes in favor.

Board members asked clarifying questions about design and cost controls. Marsh said he would work with the architect previously engaged by the district, the athletic director and the softball coach to finalize needs and plans, and that the board’s attorney would review legal and procurement steps.

Finance director Ms. Rampi later reported the district’s capital fund balances and long-range debt projections, saying the district maintains a multi-million-dollar reserve even with the new projects pending. She confirmed that the board will need to sequence upcoming capital decisions over the next 12–24 months and coordinate with state grant timing and debt-payoff schedules.

The board moved and approved the $250,000 concrete project (motion by Mr. Barksdale, second by Mr. Baker) and the softball project not-to-exceed $500,000 (motion by Mr. Barksdale, second by Mr. Abernathy); both votes were unanimous (nine in favor). The agenda materials list the projects as newly opened capital projects; specific contract awards and project timelines are to return to the board for subsequent approvals.

What happens next: District staff said they will obtain competitive quotes, refine designs with the architect and athletic staff, and bring contract/award recommendations back to the board for appropriation and procurement approval. No final construction contracts were executed at the May 11 meeting.