ECISD approves artificial turf in tight, split vote
"A curve ball only hours before a vote is unacceptable." - ECISD trustee David Hodges
By BRENDA SOMMER bsommer@leader-news.com

After a contentious early-morning meeting Friday, the El Campo ISD board decided in a split vote to install a new track and artificial turf in Ricebird Stadium.

Trustees were divided on just what kinds of bids they'd asked district architects to solicit, with proposals opened on Thursday. Trustees David Hodges, LaKeta Jo Dennis, Cecil Davis and Ralph Novosad believed they were to receive three sets of proposals: one for track repairs only, one for artificial turf only, and one combining both projects.

"We made it very clear that we wanted proposals three ways," Hodges said. "We got only … turf and track combined. … A curve ball only hours before a vote is unacceptable."

Dennis said she was expecting three sets of bids, and even read from Wednesday's El Campo Leader-News, which reported that in September, the board had asked for three sets of proposals.

ECISD Superintendent Mark Pool said he felt the board had decided at its Nov. 20 meeting they wanted to combine the projects to save money, and because doing only half would mean damage and greater expense when the rest of the work was eventually contracted. He said he asked other administrators who were at the Nov. 20 meeting their recollection of events, "and we all remember it the same way."

Trustee Melissa Erwin and board president Judy Waligura said they were only expecting one set of bids, for the combined projects.

"I was under the impression what we got today is what we were going to get," Erwin said. "We got bids on the alternatives already. We've been talking about this for a long time … to me, we've already vetted this thoroughly."

Trustee Tommy Turner said he simply wanted to move on with the project, because he believes putting artificial turf in Ricebird Stadium was part of the bond proposal used to build the new middle school, and he felt he had to honor that pledge to voters.

Erwin then moved to have Pool negotiate with Hellas Construction on their top-ranked bid of $1.477 million for the combined project, which is to begin after the Ricebird Relays and be complete before football season. Turner seconded that motion, and it passed 4-3.

Trustees Hodges, Dennis and Novosad voted against the motion.

The stadium project is one of two the board agreed to move forward with during Friday's meeting, a well-attended event which began just after 7 in the morning.

Trustees unanimously agreed to have El Campo's Polasek Construction work with Pool on the company's bid of $3.115 million proposal for upgrades and expansion of the high school science building.

Polasek had the low bid and highest weighted score out of four companies bidding on the project. The project will add two additional classroom/laboratories to the building, for a total of 10. Students will be moved to temporary buildings during the project, and construction will begin as soon as possible.

"In conversation with Mr. Polasek, I think he's ready to go," said Malcolm Gaus of RWS Architects.

"I think he's ready to go Monday," Pool said with a chuckle.

The track/turf project and science building renovations are part of $15 million in improvements the district has identified and prioritized in the last few years. The two projects will be paid for with about $580,000 left over from the now complete new middle school and high school practice gym, $685,000 in the regular capital improvements section of the budget, and $3.746 million taken from the district's fund balance.

That will leave the district with $3.806 million in its fund balance, or 14.36 percent of its annual operating costs. That figure is in the lower acceptable range - between $3.5 million and $10.6 million - of what the state considers ECISD's optional fund balance, $7.078 million.