Montgomery Board of Education Reviews Survey for Baseball Field Renovations

The Montgomery County Board of Education reviewed the results of a survey on Nov. 13 in the Montgomery County Board of Education Office in Mount Vernon for a future renovation to their baseball field.

The board hired James W. Buckley & Associates, an architecture company which has worked with multiple schools in neighboring counties, to perform the survey. Craig Buckley presented the survey findings during the meeting.

Buckley began his presentation with a slideshow showcasing two types of baseball field the company had constructed in the past: flat spectator seating and tiered spectator seating. He also insisted the slideshow was not a sales pitch but rather a showcase of the two styles.

In the flat spectator seating model, the spectator area is completely level with the playing field. Attendees can bring their own lawn chairs in addition to the provided bleachers, but Buckley noted guests further away from the field would have trouble seeing the game over all the other people at the same height.

“It’s bleachers on a concrete slab that’s lifted up above the playing field,” said Buckley.

Buckley provided example images of the fields of Treutlen County High School, Bacon County Middle and High School and Bryan County High School to demonstrate the flat spectator model.

In the tiered spectator model, the spectator seating is structured to a staircase or theatre seating to provide attendees with better viewing angles regardless of their positions.

“The lowest seat is, again, virtually at field level, but the people as it tiers up, you’re going to be looking over folks and not into the back of the person’s head,” said Buckley.

The tiered model’s example images included Metter High School, Jefferson County High School, Brooks High School, Peach County High School and Richmond Hill High School.

After the slideshow, Buckley presented an architectural drawing detailing the survey results of the already existing field, as well as a smaller hand-drawn image of the field, for the board to examine. He also brought schematics of the fields used in the example images for reference.

The group discussed issues which would need to be resolved in a renovation, including potential soil issues and water drainage. Buckley also recommended the renovation plan to remove the existing wall.

However, no engineering work has been done yet for the project, as Buckley wanted to wait for input from the board before moving forward. He offered to have his engineers begin developing more concrete options and return to the board at a later date, which the board agreed to.

Assistant Superintendent Scott Barrow opted to keep the survey drawings for further reference.