Board approves South Ardell stadium upgrades, activity bus and asks county to fund Weathers Creek fields

The Iredell‑Statesville Board of Education on April 13 approved a cluster of athletics and facilities actions: a $4.4 million stadium upgrade at South Ardell High School, purchase of a new activity bus, and a formal request that the county consider funding athletic fields at the new Weathers Creek High School.

At South Ardell, facilities staff outlined a package that includes a synthetic turf playing field, a six‑lane Mondo track, upgraded LED stadium lighting, replacement of visitor bleachers to meet ADA standards and repair of a failing retaining wall. Facilities staff said “we’re looking to spend about $3 million in lottery funds” toward the project and that remaining costs would come from the capital budget. The board approved the package unanimously.

The board also authorized an activity bus purchase at the quoted price; staff said these buses typically have long service life and can be cost‑effective to replace before repair costs escalate.

Finally, the board voted unanimously to ask administration to present a formal funding request to county commissioners for athletic fields at Weathers Creek High. Facilities staff outlined options and value‑engineering choices (for example, limiting scope or phasing work) so the county could choose a funding level and staff would return with matching scope choices.

Why it matters: Athletic fields and stadium upgrades are high‑visibility investments that affect school programs, community rental opportunities and long‑term maintenance schedules. Lottery funding and capital appropriations are major revenue sources for field upgrades.

Actions (selected)
- Motion: Approve South Ardell High School athletic stadium upgrades (outcome: approved 6–0). (Provenance: discussion SEG 3353–3368; vote recorded SEG 3806–3808.)
- Motion: Approve purchase of activity bus at quoted price (outcome: approved 6–0). (Provenance: discussion SEG 3262–3280; vote SEG 3346–3351.)
- Motion: Request administration to present Weathers Creek athletic field funding options to Ardell County commissioners (outcome: approved 6–0). (Provenance: discussion SEG 4680–4689; vote SEG 4996–5000.)

Speakers (attributed)
- Mr. Shankurik, Director of Facilities (first referenced SEG 3022)
- Chairman Knight, Board Chair (first referenced SEG 001)

Provenance (topic spans)
- South Ardell stadium: topicintro SEG 3353, topfinish SEG 3660
- Activity bus: topicintro SEG 3262, topfinish SEG 3351
- Weathers Creek request: topicintro SEG 4680, topfinish SEG 5000