Mark Bell

Contributing Writer

While construction crews continue their work on the new football complex at Harlan County High School, the school board continued their work to provide funds to complete the long-anticipated project.

During Monday’s special session, the board adopted a resolution issuing $1,145,000 of “special obligations” bonds for Coal Miners Memorial Stadium at the school’s athletic complex on U.S. 119 at Rosspoint.

School officials continue to hope the project will be complete in time for the school’s season home opener against Gate City, Va.

In addition to a synthetic turf field for football, the stadium project includes track and field features such as an eight-lane track, high jump, long jump and pole vault, among other items. This will make HCHS eligible to host regional track meets.

The stadium features a 2,000-seat home section, a 1,000-seat visitor seating section, a state-of-the-art scoreboard and a press box. Additional phases of construction will include bleacher expansion on both sides of the field, expansion of the locker room and a training facility, as well as other features.

Earlier this month the district was given permission by the Kentucky Department of Education to proceed with this bond sale. Action by the state legislature had held up their attempts to sell bonds earlier in the year. This action now must be approved by the state legislative committee that oversees bond issues, which Glenn Brashear, the district’s investment banking consultant, said should be granted on July 19. The funds would likely be deposited in the district’s account within three weeks of that date, Brashear added.

Also, the issue of a reciprocal agreement with Letcher County Schools was back on the agenda. After months of delay, a non-resident contract has now been approved. Both districts had until the end of the month to meet a state-imposed deadline for such agreements to be effective during the 2012-13 school year.

The contract is good for one year, though the language indicates it can become a renewable agreement. To be eligible under the contract terms, students must have been born before July 1 and must be enrolled in their respective schools by Sept. 1.

In other action, the board approved:

* Payment of bills totaling $123,668.14;

* Contract for the Family Resource and Youth Service Centers with “So Real” for assemblies on violence prevention;

* Food service bids for food and supplies for the period of July 1, 2012 to Dec. 31, 2012

* Agreements with Appalachian Regional Healthcare for therapy services and physical and drug specimen collection;

* Out-of-state trips for the Harlan County High School football team to Morristown, Tenn., on Aug. 18, and to Jonesville, Va., on Sept. 14.

In other action:

* Directed the district’s architect to survey the Evarts Elementary School gymnasium air conditioning project and make a recommendation to proceed in consideration of a recent school fundraising effort;

* Conducted the first reading of the Kentucky School Boards Association’s annual policy updates;

* Held a 34-minute executive session for the purpose of discussing personnel and litigation;

* Tabled discussion of the 2012-2013 employee job descriptions until the next regular meeting.