Football project good for the city

By Jeremy Weldon, Editor

This and that about this and that…
A big “thank you” to everyone who has called and dropped by to offer condolences in the passing of our columnist Ronny Oswalt.
His close friends have spent the week telling and re-telling Ronny stories and it’s clear he was well loved in the community and by our readers.
Thanks also goes to the volunteers who have spent so much time the past week helping the young couple from Dallas look for their dogs that were thrown from their flipping vehicle during a serious accident near Sardis last Friday.
They have found one of the dogs, and continue to search the area of the accident for the other pet. It’s such a positive statement for our city and county when people step forward to help total strangers in time of need.
The big news this week has been the opening of bids for the new football fieldhouse and indoor training facility that will be built behind the south endzone. The old fieldhouse will be torn down soon, and construction should start soon after.
Of course everyone is excited about the new fieldhouse and especially the indoor facility, which will be the first of its kind in the state.
Next week we will publish a story detailing the expense of the project, and how the district will pay for the $3.2 million project. Don’t worry, your taxes aren’t going up. At least not to pay for this construction, anyway.
At the school board meeting this week, trustees signed off on the bid proposal and the necessary financial instruments that will pay for the construction. During that meeting, Superintendent Tim Wilder and others talked about the net gain for both the athletic programs and the City of Batesville on a whole.
The fieldhouse, and especially the indoor, will be something the city can be proud of, not to mention a selling point for prospective industries and businesses.
Athletic programs certainly aren’t the key to economic planning and development, but a super nice facility will no doubt impress any visitor.
Head football coach Ricky Woods was on cloud nine at the meeting when the bid was accepted. He has waited a long time to see this major step for the football program. Already playing (and winning) with a less than desirable locker room, the coach knows that the new facility will reward and inspire his players and the loyal Tiger fan base.
Finally, the obits this week include the notice of Mr. William Partee Land’s passing. His brother, Calvin, told me something about his brother that is worth passing on to the readers I think.
Calvin said his brother, at the age of 89 last September, killed a deer with his bow. Deer hunters will agree that taking a deer with bow and arrow is about the most difficult shot a hunter can have. I was encouraged to hear that Mr. Land had accomplished the feat at that age.
Goes to show that age is just a number.