By CRISTINA JANNEY
Hays Post
The Hays USD 489 school board approved $1.6 million to make improvements to the Hays High School baseball field at its meeting Monday night.
The improvements will include new turf for the infield, conversion of the outfield to turf, conversion of the lights to LEDs, new bleachers and a larger backstop.
"Our baseball stadium is probably the best facility we have now. However, in three years, it will go from being our best facility to our worst facility," Superintendent Ron Wilson said.
The Hays school district is in the middle of a bond issue that will include a new high school and a conversion of the current high school into a middle school.
The turf at the HHS baseball field is 12 years old, which is two years past its expected lifespan.
The district is struggling to keep the outfield, which is still grass, watered. The sprinklers are not reaching all of the field, which is leaving dead spots.
State law prohibits the district from diverting more water from its wells to the field because of its location.
Lance Krannawitter, HHS activities director, said the heat has resulted in the grass surface becoming hard and dangerous to play on.
The new bleachers will be handicap accessible. The larger backstop will help keep foul balls from hitting windshields in the parking area.
"This will make our baseball facility on par with all other facilities and be a nice addition to our complex," Wilson said.
The district will pay for the improvements with capital outlay funds.
The project should be completed by March in time for the 2024 baseball season.
Felten Elementary School
The board voted unanimously to name the district's new elementary school Felten Elementary School.
The current middle school will be remodeled into an elementary school as part of the ongoing bond improvements.
Felten was used as the name of the building from 1981 to 2012 when the school was a middle school.
The school was renamed in honor of Pete F. Felten, who played a key role in the development of Hays. Serving as mayor, he helped lay out and name the streets of Hays. He was the owner of Felten Truck Lines. Many people and organizations in the Hays community benefited from Pete Felten's generosity, the district said in its supporting materials.
Pete Felten Jr., Pete F. Felten's son, is an acclaimed limestone sculptor and still lives in Hays.
The new elementary school is set to open in fall 2026.
The district is beginning phase two of the Roosevelt Elementary School renovations that are also part of the bond work. Temporary walls are going up at the school and footings are being poured for the expansion of the school, Wilson said.
The construction company bought snow cones for the students at the school last week and took them on mini-tours of the changes, Wilson said.
The district's budget and revenue-neutral hearings will be during the next school board meeting on Sept. 11.
The district is proposing an $82 million budget with a slight decrease in the local option budget from 13.019 mills to 12.25 mills.
Because the Ellis County valuation has increased, the district will be taking in more money even though it has slightly decreased the mill levy.
That increase is why the district is required to have a revenue-neutral hearing. The notices on that increase, along with those for the city and county, went out to residents last week.