Construction begins on athletic complex in Ledger
Sarah Atkins
mnjreporter@gmail.com
The new student athletic complex broke ground last week, marking the first day of construction on the newest addition to Mitchell County Schools facilities.
Several members of MCS staff were in attendance, including new MCS assistant superintendent Kevin Huskins.
Huskins believes the new athletic complex will “be good for the entire community” and “establish a sense of pride that we have up-to-date facilities for our students.”
The student athletic center will include features such as a 30-yard indoor practice field for football, a golf simulator, and drop-down baseball nets. It will also have a basketball court, wrestling area, and a weights room.
Jennifer Gregory, Mitchell County Schools associate superintendent, said she “can’t wait for the students to see the facility and the opportunities that they will have with it” and hopes the new athletic complex “will get them [students] excited about being involved with athletics.”
The groundbreaking ceremony also commemorated the first day of construction on a road that will go behind Mitchell High School to separate bus and car pickup. The road is aimed at lessening the time it takes to get students home at the end of the school day as well as minimizing traffic.
Both the new athletic complex and the road separating pickup are expected to make significant improvements to student safety.
The athletic complex is expected to do this by providing more space for students to practice, especially those who play basketball. This will allow students to have fewer late-night practices and enable them to get home earlier and in safer road conditions.
According to superintendent Chad Calhoun, North Carolina Senator Ralph Hise, a Spruce Pine local, was instrumental in making this project happen and making funds available to Mitchell County Schools. Hise had planned to be at the groundbreaking but was unable to make it owing to budget negotiations in Raleigh.
The project has been funded by a grant of $14.5 million. Cope Architecture designed the facility and Vannoy Construction will oversee the project, which is expected to be completed by December of this year.
The grant will also help fund a project that aims to improve the Mitchell High School softball field with new field lights and a press box. The new softball field is estimated to be completed by the spring of 2025.
Calhoun hopes to pursue further projects for Mitchell County Schools such as renovating Greenlee Primary, Gouge Elementary, and Mitchell High schools in the near future. Renovations to these facilities would help to reduce maintenance costs for several years and allow funds to be redirected to improvements for students in MCS.