Brewton school officials will know Thursday if the T.R. Miller stadium will be completed for the Tigers’ season opener against Andalusia on Aug. 21.
Superintendent Kenneth Varner, during his first official school board meeting Monday, said he is organizing a meeting between project officials, coaches and others to “hammer out the details” of the project.
“It’s going to be a roundtable discussion where we set timelines and deadlines to get things done,” Varner said. “That game against Andalusia (the first of the season) is big draw for us. It’s a huge gate for us (in terms of admission). Every project hits a few stumbling blocks, but the paint may not be dry or a few things not quite finished, but we’re going to play there. Plus, I want to make sure that when they’re done with the football side they don’t move along without finishing the baseball side.”
The project was delayed because of water and soil issues when installing new lighting.
“As with any project, you expect there to be a few problems, but not huge issues,” Varner said. “What we found were our issues were a bit unexpected, but we’re going to get things done.”
The stadium and baseball project was only one of a many things Varner has dealt with during his first week on the job. After meeting city officials and attending civic meetings, Varner said he looked back to see what he said his first order of business would be once hired.
“That was one of the questions (the board) asked,” Varner said. “As with any new position, you can expect a level of anxiety. This week, I’ve been working to ‘calm the waters.’
“I’ve met with principals, central office staff and we’ve had a great first week,” he said. “I even got to have lunch with Zeke, and that’s an experience everyone should have.”
Varner said the system will hold an institute day on Aug. 10.
“There’s plenty of time for data and statistics, and I feel that day should be a day of inspiration,” he said of the day where teachers will resume their school duties. “We’ve got lots of energy going, and we want to keep that momentum going.”