PELHAM – The Pelham Board of Education and Superintendent Dr. Scott Coefield are making progress on multiple renovations projects at Pelham High School and one at Pelham Park Middle School.

At a meeting on Monday, Nov. 26, the board approved a project to install fencing around the middle school’s P.E. and sports practice field. The field is located behind the school is expected to be completed in the spring. The project will be completed by Bennett Building Inc. and will cost $73,951.

Three projects at PHS were also discussed. The school board approved plans to renovate the administrative offices and entrance of PHS to make it more secure. The $246,000 project, which will be completed by Williford Orman Construction, calls for a second set of doors to be installed at the entrance so that the public won’t have to actually enter the school to conduct business, such as signing in or checking out a student.

“It will be similar to the entrances already in place at our other schools,” Coefield said. “Most of this project will be done in the summer and fully implemented by next school year.”

Also at the meeting, Coefield and the school board listened to a 30-minute presentation from Sain Associates Inc. about a potential road improvement project at PHS. The scope of the presentation included improvements to all roads, entrances, exits and parking lots at the school and had a price tag of $850,000. The presentation included new sidewalks, widening roads and improved lighting.

“This was the first presentation so many more conversations will be had before anything is approved,” Coefield said. “The price would come down if we gave up some features, but that’s something we’re still taking into consideration.”

Coefield said improvements are needed because traffic flow at certain times don’t work well, there are some erosion issues in certain areas and there are traffic problems during big events, like ball games, that could use improvements. The improvements would make traffic flow more functional and safer, he said.

“Right now, we’re looking at it and getting input,” he said. “This is something that is high on our list of projects to get done.”

The school board also gave Coefield approval to move forward with renovation plans for the high school’s old field house once the design is approved by the state. Once renovated, the field house will be utilized by the boys and girls track and soccer teams. The project is expected to cost $50,000 at the most.

“We’re trying to get it completed by spring, but it’s hard to say for sure because we haven’t received final approval from the state to move forward,” Coefield said.

In other business, the school board:

– Approved a trip to Bradenton, Florida for the PHS baseball team.

– Approved a cooperative agreement for School Resource Officers with city of Pelham and authorized the superintendent to execute the same. The agreement is subject to approval of final edits by the superintendent and the board’s legal counsel.

– Approved a contract with IMPACT family counseling.

– Approved the purchase of 2006 model school bus from Transportation South.

The board’s next regularly scheduled board meeting on Jan. 28, 2019 at Pelham Park Middle School.