People who need handicap parking access now have designated parking spaces at the Macon Middle School track and ball fields.
Macon County Schools Maintenance Director Tracy Tallent told the Board of Education on Feb. 17 that he went out and painted four new parking spots for handicap placard holders at the school, adjacent to traffic islands nearest to the fields.
The parking spots are complete with signs made in-house. Along with four new handicapped parking spaces, Tallent painted over two regular spaces, creating one big handicapped parking space for vans with ramps or lifts.
The original plan for the new Macon Middle School track was to build a parking lot with handicapped spaces between the existing parking lot, baseball field and track. However, concerns over foul balls smashing car windows and damaging cars nixed those plans.
Recently, the school board discussed paving a new sidewalk to the track and baseball field, so wheelchair users can more easily access the seating areas.
A drivable gravel path to the track is now in place, so emergency vehicles can access it. No other vehicles will be allowed on the track.
Tallent said there had been weather issues in the last couple of weeks delaying the total completion of the middle school track.
In school capital outlay news, maintenance crews laid down a new gravel parking lot at East Franklin for overflow parking and installed a security fence. Other capital outlay projects such as the Macon Middle School carpet, central office windows, East Franklin music room carpet and Highlands School backlog preventer are ordered.
The school board approved adding new coaching supplements to its list. According to the presentation, a separate diving head coach will get $1,000, a varsity boys volleyball head coach will get $2,235.20 and an assistant coach will get $1,636.80, the same as the varsity girls volleyball coaches. A middle school golf assistant coach will get $550. This goes along with the coaching supplement increases approved last month.
Board member Stephanie Laseter wants to talk in the future about having larger coaching supplemental increases.