Artificial Turf Fields Coming To CCSD High Schools

CANTON, GA — The Cherokee County School Board on Thursday approved a contract to install artificial turf at all of its high schools. Board members unanimously approved a $4.9 million contract with Sports Turf, Inc./AstroTurf to install the material at Cherokee, Etowah, Creekview, River Ridge, Sequoyah and Woodstock high schools.

The project will be funded using Education Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax revenue, which was approved by voters in the 2016 Ed SPLOST renewal. The installation will replace grass at five schools and outdated turf funded by community donations at Etowah High School.

Through this installation, the school district notes it will avoid high annual maintenance costs and will "increase safety for players, while also evening the playing field for our student athletes in competitive divisions."

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Superintendent of Schools Dr. Brian Hightower also presented a brief report on his Ad Hoc Safety and Security Committee, which was created after the Sandy Hook school shooting and which he asked to begin meeting again following the Parkland tragedy last month.

The Committee is made up of district and school leaders; the county’s sheriff, marshal, city police chiefs and additional leaders from local law enforcement; and parents representing each Innovation Zone who are graduates of CCSD’s VILLA parent academy.

Dr. Hightower tasked the group with reviewing CCSD’s current safety and security levels and making recommendations to him, prior to the development of next year’s budget, for possible improvements. School Board Vice Chair Mike Chapman said he appreciates Dr. Hightower’s responsiveness and involvement of local law enforcement leaders and parents.

“Our school district and this school board will continue to be proactive and transparent in our response to safety and security concerns,” Chapman said, noting the district does this without any financial support from the state. “This is too important an issue for our community not to take care of on our own, even if the state is shirking its financial and ethical responsibility.”

SEE ALSO: CCSD Students Pay Tribute To Parkland Shooting Victims

Board members also unanimously approved selling its CCSD Downtown Center, otherwise known as the Historic Canton High School, to the city of Canton. It's the last building the district still owned in downtown Canton, and the board approved the sell for $2.5 million.

The Cherokee County School Board also:

• Recognized Clark Creek Elementary School STEM Academy as a Georgia High-Progress Reward School;
• Recognized Sequoyah High School senior Victoria “Tori” Turk as recipient of Georgia Thespians’ 2018 Outstanding Student Achievement Award;
• Recognized Sequoyah High School Speech and Debate Team as 2018 National Speech and Debate Tournament qualifiers;
• Recognized 2017-18 STAR Students and STAR Teachers;
• Recognized CCSD students selected for all-state band, chorus, orchestra and reading chorus;
• Recognized 2017-18 Middle School County Academic Bowl Team champions from Creekland Middle School;
• Recognized Woodstock Elementary School as a Common Sense Certified School for Digital Citizenship;
• Recognized Cherokee County School District Middle School basketball tournament champions;
• Recognized state and regional champions from Creekview High School wrestling and competition cheer teams and Sequoyah High School swim team members;
• Recognized Cherokee County School District Library Media Specialists of the Year;
• Recognized school board members during School Board Member Appreciation Week;
• Approved the renewal of a partnership agreement with the United Way of Greater Atlanta;
• Adopted a resolution supporting the city of Woodstock’s annexation of the Woodstock MS/HS campus in order to provide services including inclement weather road clearing;
• Approved the school noard’s application for the Georgia School Boards Association’s (GSBA) Quality Board recognition;
• Approved the naming of school board member Robert Rechsteiner as delegate to GSBA’s Delegate Assembly;
• Approved monthly financial reports;
• Approved transferring the CCSD School Police Department’s canine through an intergovernmental agreement to the Cherokee Sheriff’s Office and the sale of K9 program equipment to interested buyers;
• Approved out-of-state and overnight student field trips and professional development;
• Approved special lease agreements; and,
• Met in executive session to discuss student disciplinary matters.

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