The Newton School Board has set public hearings for Monday, January 13 to consider using local option sales tax revenue to pay for improvements at H.A. Lynn Stadium and the new baseball field. In response to concerns about no handrails on the bleacher steps at H.A. Lynn Stadium, the school board is considering the installation of new bleachers on the visitors side of the field. The estimated cost is $700,000. Local option sales tax money, or SAVE dollars, may also be used to build a concession stand and bathrooms at the new baseball field. That projected cost is $800,000. Newton School Superintendent Tom Messenger says the public hearings are a state requirement.
“The process that has to be followed to use SAVE or sales tax dollars for athletic facilities is you do have to have public hearings ahead of time.”
SAVE stands for Secure an Advanced Vision for Education. It’s a statewide sales tax that local school district voters approve, to provide funding for school infrastructure and property tax relief. Newton School Superintendent Tom Messenger talks more about these potential projects on today’s Let’s Talk Newton.