Searcy, AR (LP) — Searcy High School students will soon find their campus refreshed with a new sports facility. However, it won’t be a gym or field house but a multi-sport arena. This project will change the face of Searcy High forever in addition costing a lot of money and that raises concern in some students. So, is this new addition worth the cost or a problematic error in judgment?
One problem the school faces each year is whether or not there will be good conditions for graduation. If the weather is favorable, graduation is held at Lion Stadium. On the other hand, in the event of bad conditions, it is moved, often last minute, to the Benson Auditorium on the Harding University campus. While it is suitable for such an event, it requires a major turnaround on both Harding University and SHS’s behalf. Because of the difficulties that are found within this set-up, the administration of the Searcy Public School district found it important to plan the building of a new building that could facilitate an event such as graduation. “We are planning on building an arena that will be 2,800 seats. We are hoping it is going be large enough that we can hold graduation in it. With that seating capacity plus the gym floor itself where we can put chairs, we should be able to get to a seating capacity similar to what we have at Benson Auditorium at Harding when we have bad weather. We will also have basketball and volleyball in the new arena. This will also have a cheer and dance room. So, it will have space for them as well,” said Mrs. Diane Barrett, superintendent of Searcy Public Schools.
The location of the new arena is set to be on the SHS campus on the west side of the campus and connected to the Sullards Annex and main building via a pathway running alongside the cafeteria. At the same time, the building is planned to push into the area behind Sullards Annex. “Right now, the plans call for us to build up into the hill behind Sullards Annex. So, the part that is built up into that hill will have a reinforced wall and we are planning to make that area that would be down on the ground level a safe area which will serve similar to our safe room that we are building at the Junior High campus,” said Barrett. As of right now, the new arena will begin construction during the summer break of 2020.
However, the provisional completion date is currently set in the far future. Barrett said, “Once we actually build, it can be anywhere from 18 months to two years. We’re probably looking tentatively, this is still tentative, about February of 2022.” With the construction continuing throughout the multiple school years, the problem arises that construction, being the noisy and cumbersome thing that it can be, would no doubt distract students if done during the usual construction hours, which according to AEC Business is 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. This time period contains most school and after school events. But that isn’t the only problem with the construction. According to Gene Hodges, the principal of SHS, “There will be about a hundred parking spots taken up by the actual building itself and then we’re gonna also have to rope off a good portion of it so people don’t get close to it. We’ll have to be a little bit creative with the parking. So, what we’ll do before we ever start is we’ll rope off what we think we’ll have to need or use and then we’ll start figuring out how to schedule those parking spots around it. The last plan that I was told was overflow parking will go behind the indoor facility, you know, where the band practices. It’ll go behind there and they’re gonna pave that and make that overflow parking so that’ll probably make up those other spots. You can still like a lot of schools will paint football lines on those parking spots or they’ll come out and chalk them off for the band. To be honest with you, it is probably better that way. It’s dry. It’s flat. It’s level. It’s good, you know.”
A serious concern of some is the cost of the arena and, while the cost has not officially been stated, Barrett does gives some explanation of how the district has and will make room for such a large expenditure. “We have been saving money. We’re very fortunate and we’ve got a board that is very committed to having the best facilities that we can have for our students. So, we have done very well with managing money, putting money back and saving money. In addition to that, we probably will do some second-lien bonds [bonds that require less interest and more time to pay back] to provide the rest of the money.” Summarily, the school has budgeted for this for what is apparent to be a decent amount of time but that the school can’t entirely pay for the addition on its own. However, similar projects with all the extras can see price tags upwards of $500,000, according to PlayComparison.com. So, it will be important to find the exact cost to find the true opinion of the public.
Public opinion, however, is hard to discern. This is especially true when few people actually know of the plan’s mere existence. One student at SHS, Aiden Bunting, was only made aware at the time he was interviewed about it. But once he was informed of the plans, he was considerably less than excited. Bunting said, “It doesn’t seem like a need. Especially since we already have the Gym and the Annex. Maybe if they got some computers in there, we could get some esports events hosted. Besides, we host wrestling matches. We host volleyball. We host basketball.” This sentiment makes sense. SHS does have a considerable role in state and regional sports. However, Bunting finds one thing quite interesting about the project. “A bigger complex makes us look like we are a better school, have a bigger budget, and care about our sports, which we do. When you go to other schools and see their large facilities, it makes them look like they are better.”
But, while this new arena is a massive expenditure for the school district, it is still merely a small part of a plan that reaches far into the future of the district. Barrett said, “We have a master plan that we do that goes out for ten years. What we plan to do in the next ten years. It doesn’t mean you can’t change it as things evolve. We have things such as building safe rooms on our other campuses and in conjunction with that possibly some classrooms in with that to take care of maybe some other needs. We have in there a professional development center. Here again, these are just thoughts that we have and as time evolves we’ll evaluate and see whether or not that’s still the direction we want to go or if there are other needs that have popped up.”
The project would make the school look better and give an alternate placement for homecoming. But is that worth the cost when other school programs aren’t as manicured? Is it necessary? Well, Searcy, that’s up to you.
