The high school parking lot adjacent to the school’s football field had been a gravel area for nearly 50 years. It was installed to service the former high school (now Marysville Early College High School – STEM school) built in 1968, and for use at high school football games and other athletic activities held on the field. Although it was not paved, it was adequate.
The decision by Marysville School Supt. Diane Mankins and the school board to blacktop the parking lot is one that concerns me.
After the project was approved by the board, bids were obtained this past spring. It was reported that the bids were too high, and the process was delayed while new estimates were sought. Finally, a bid for an amount satisfactory to school officials – more than $2 million – was obtained, and the work began … just before the first home football game.
I am puzzled for several reasons.
First, the cost seems quite high for what is being done. Most of the work is tiling, site preparation and blacktopping the parking lot. It also includes some alterations to the bus garage. For a sum that high, the question is, could the money have been used elsewhere for something more important to the education of our children? Apparently, Mankins did not offer the board any other choices during discussion on the measure.
Second, I question the timing of the project. I don’t understand the urgency of starting it at the opening of school last month. Because of the vast scope of the work, it appears that it will not be completed until at least some time in October or even November, rendering the lot unusable for most, if not all, of the football and fall sports season. It should have been done this past summer, but if that wasn’t possible because of the bidding snafu, using common sense, the work should have been put off until such time that the lot wouldn’t be needed for parking, even if that meant not until next summer.
It may be that the cost of asphalt is a factor here. That price may have been lower than normal when the final bid was accepted, and Mankins and the board didn’t want to take a chance on it going up if they waited. However, that is an unknown component. The cost of blacktop could remain the same or possibly decrease over the next several months. But even if it doesn’t, the loss of revenue could more than offset any extra expense.
That brings up the third reason – less money taken in. Because of remote parking for athletic contests, fewer people will no doubt be attending the activities. This includes those who want to watch both the football team and the best darned high school band in the area. Parking has been set up at the Union County Fairgrounds, the current high school, Schwartzkopf and Mill Creek Parks and other areas. An elderly man who attended the first home football game with Jonathan Alder told me that he had to walk so far from where he parked that he was exhausted when he arrived at the stadium. He did not have a handicap permit. In another situation, since the game was delayed because of lightning, all those attending were ordered to go to their cars for safety. Since they had parked so far away, most just went home.
Lower attendance affects not only ticket sales for those without season passes, but also concessions and other money-raising activities in the stadium.
Fourth, I wonder what visitors from Jon Alder thought, and what those coming to future home games will think. They might not have a very good opinion of what they witness when they arrive and of the decision of school officials to undertake the project during football season.
The fifth and final concern is whether or not Mankins and members of the board had considered in advance of the start of work any of the problems mentioned above. It appears that they had no plan, and were working by the seat of their pants once they were faced with the crisis.
All in all, the paving project has raised the eyebrows of many school district residents. Questions persist. Was it needed at a cost of over $2 million? Could that money have been put to better use within the school system? Was it necessary to have the work done during the fall sports season rendering the parking lot totally unusable during that time?