Board tackles track bid dispute
CONTRIBUTED BY
STEVEN STIEFEL
LEE COUNTY — Lee County Superintendent Mike Howard praised teachers, students and parents for adapting to sweeping changes at the start of the new school year during the school board’s Aug. 11 meeting.
The Lee County Board of Education voted last November to shift four Smiths Station elementary campuses from neighborhood-based zoning to a grade-level model. South Smiths Station Elementary now serves preschool students only. West Smiths Station Elementary houses kindergarten and first grade. East Smiths Station Elementary holds second and third grade. Wacoochee Elementary serves fourth and fifth grade.
Administrators said the change followed findings of disparities in resource allocation across the four campuses. The district said the new structure gives students equal access to specialized instruction, including art, music and targeted reading and math support, regardless of where they live, and eases the transition into junior high.
“The start has been really, really good inside the buildings,” Howard said. “Kids have really quickly returned to normal. I couldn’t be prouder of everybody.”
Howard said traffic has been the biggest challenge of the transition. He said the district worked closely with its transportation department ahead of the school year to prepare for disruptions in the Smiths Station zone, and he had warned staff as early as September that transportation would be the rockiest part of the rollout.
“We’ve sped up everything about 30 minutes in the morning and in the afternoon,” Howard said. “We’ll continue getting better as we get a little more established.”
In other business, the board received an update on the Smiths Station track resurfacing project that will require a special called meeting.
McKee & Associates presented a report measuring the thickness of the track’s pavement sections to assess the condition of the running surface and subgrade before recommending remediation. The track is estimated to be at least 30 years old, well beyond a typical asphalt pavement’s design life. The report found the asphalt in fair condition given its age.
“Test bores confirmed the subgrade beneath the base layer consists of predominately cohesive clayey sand or sandy clay,” McKee reported in the letter. “Weak subgrade soil conditions were encountered to depths ranging from 4 to 7-feet below the track surface in four of the 6 bore locations. Laboratory test results revealed soil moisture contents below the pavement ranging from 12.5 to 45.8% with an average of 24.0%.”
Five vendors submitted bids for the track reconstruction. MMC Contractors submitted the low bid at $998,485, but Lathan-McKee Architects later determined the company lacked the required license classification to perform the scope of work at the time bids were received, a material requirement of the bidding process. As a result, the board scheduled a special called meeting for Aug. 18 to award the contract to the next lowest responsive and responsible bidder, Sportsturf, which bid $1,061,077.
Financial Director Ken Roberts presented the district’s financial report for June, saying General Fund spending was on target at 75% of the fiscal year budget despite a planned deficit. Roberts said an apparent $2 million deficit compared with the previous year was largely due to the timing of large transactions, including debt payments. The district’s next fiscal year begins Oct. 1.
The board approved the following out-of-state or overnight field trips:
Smiths Station High varsity football against Odis Spencer, Aug. 13.
Smiths Station High girls volleyball against Brookstone High, Sept. 10.
Smiths Station High junior varsity football against Northside, Sept. 14.
Smiths Station High varsity girls basketball team to a WNBA game, Sept. 16.
Smiths Station High varsity girls volleyball against St. Anne-Pacelli High School, Sept. 24.
Smiths Station High cross country meet, Oct. 3.
Smiths Station High freshman football against Harris County, Oct. 7.
Smiths Station Junior High wrestling tournaments, Dec. 3-5 and Dec. 29-30.
Smiths Station Junior High wrestling in the Columbus City Tournament, Jan. 2, 2027.
Smiths Station Junior High wrestling in JV/junior high duals, Jan. 26, 2027.
Smiths Station Junior High wrestling sectional tournament, Feb. 12-13, 2027.
Smiths Station Junior High wrestling state individual tournament, Feb. 17-20, 2027.
Beauregard High wrestling in the AHSAA state championship, Feb. 17-20, 2027.
Smiths Station High choir performance, April 1-4, 2027.
The board also approved personnel recommendations, with one member abstaining from a specific item. No community speakers addressed the board.
The award of the Smiths Station track reconstruction bid is the only item scheduled for the Aug. 18 special meeting. The board’s next regular meeting is set for Sept. 8 at 5 p.m. at 2410 Society Hill Road in Opelika.
