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Elma School District board hears strong community support for facilities plan, grant work under way
Summary
Board members said a recent community meeting showed support for moving forward on a district facilities plan that prioritizes fields and other repairs; SCJ Alliance collaboration on a grant has begun and staff say property ownership makes the district competitive for funding.
At a regular meeting, the Elma School District board discussed a recent community facilities meeting and next steps for pursuing grants and starting projects. A board member summarized the feedback as a clear preference to move forward: "I definitely heard the community's voice ... they would like us to move forward." (Committee member)
The discussion focused on using district-owned property to advance an athletic/open-space fields project and on broader facility priorities. Board members said the community is beginning to understand that building up on district-owned land is more feasible than trying to develop Davis Field and that moving the community conversation past just a stadium will free attention for other pressing needs such as asphalt repairs and roofs.
Board members described a grant opportunity tied to open-space and athletic fields that could unlock additional work. One member said SCJ Alliance has started collaborating on the grant and "is set as a collaborator to start uploading all the files," with the major portion of the grant work expected to be completed by Friday (Committee member). Members also noted community volunteers and attendees offered funding leads at the meeting.
Facilities staff reported progress on district projects: the ADA accessibility project and roof work were completed, and the track asphalt is down, with a rubber topcoat to be applied after a two-week cure period. Facilities staff credited Jeff for building out a district maintenance list and improving transparency on work and costs (Jeff, Facilities staff).
Board members acknowledged communication and timing issues that limited attendance at the community meeting (youth baseball and scheduling conflicts) but said social media interest and targeted outreach have increased public engagement. The board emphasized the need to marry community priorities with the facility study to prioritize the district's highest needs and noted staff have been setting aside funds to address long-standing work.
Next steps noted in the meeting: continue grant collaboration with SCJ Alliance, follow up on funding leads offered by the public, and include facilities work in the upcoming budget process at the July 22 budget hearing.
