- April 28, 2024
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Mike Judd, risk manager for Flagler County schools, presented to the School Board plans to improve the sports fields at Buddy Taylor Middle School, through a partnership with the city of Palm Coast, similar to the one recently established at the Indian Trails Sports Complex.
The plan includes the creation of three new, tournament-quality fields, with Bermuda grass, irrigation and lightning on one of the three fields.
The project would cost more than $440,000, plus an extra $68,000 in annual maintenance costs.
The county has offered to let the School Board use its bulldozer, Judd added, which could cut $5,000 from the project. The board might also consider applying for a grant from the Tourist Development Council, which would open the fields to national tournaments, and could trim an extra $150,000 off the price tag.
“I just don’t think that that’s realistic,” board member Colleen Conklin said, of spending nearly $.5 million on fields in the current economic climate. But integrating improvements in phases might be more reasonable.
The rest of the board agreed.
Superintendent Janet Valentine offered to continue working with staff to figure the feasibility of incorporating field improvements into the board’s future strategic plans. She will also work to ensure that each school's amenities are uniform.
Until now, Judd said the fields have only been “top dressed,” or leveled. Currently, Buddy Taylor’s fields are consistent with all other elementary and middle-school fields in the county, except Indian Trails, which was improved recently, through a TDC partnership.
