Construction continues at South Putnam Schools

When the fieldhouse is finished, it will feature two courts, indoor batting cages, volleyball capabilities, a small indoor track, new weight room, a new wrestling room, new locker rooms, restrooms and will also house the physical education indoor activities.

Each time Dr. Corey Smith traverses across his district, he sees nothing but progress and an exciting future.

The reason?

There is construction taking place all across the South Putnam School Corporation that will touch every building and position the Eagles nicely in the future. 

Perhaps, the biggest project is the fieldhouse project at South Putnam Middle/High School, which will change the landscape of that building. 

"The fieldhouse project is moving along nicely. A lot of the work that you can't see is underground and that is always a pain point when you are dealing with a project that large. You don't see a lot of the things that have been happening on that project for several months. We are starting to see things come out of the ground now, which is great. We are starting to get a lot of the block work done, and starting on the pool work. The pool is drained and starting to do the fix ups on that, which is going to be nice when that's all finished up," Smith told The Putnam County Post. 

When the fieldhouse is finished, it will feature two courts, indoor batting cages, volleyball capabilities, a small indoor track, new weight room, a new wrestling room, new locker rooms, restrooms and will also house the physical education indoor activities, according to Smith. 

Smith said he can foresee the fieldhouse being utilized "extensively" and will also help free up time for his elementary programs to use a gym that is often being used by middle and high school teams, pushing practices to 9 p.m.

"We definitely see some outside use and we are specifically building some of the design structure to be able to control who comes in and out of that building and access to the rest of the building," Smith said. 

The construction project also included upgrades to South Putnam High School's Mark Wildman Field and turf surface. 

"The field and turf project turned out amazingly well, and we are working with the same partners on the other projects as well. We have a few more things to finish up on the track and field project, as we have some work to do on the annex building and some of the locker rooms out there and will get that all finished up this summer," Smith acknowledged. 

In addition, there have been upgrades made to roofs on several buildings across the district. 

"The roof projects are completed. As a superintendent, that is a great feeling to have. All but a few small roofs in the district are under 20 or 30 year warranties, so that is something I won't have to worry about in my career except for a couple small roof sections over the middle school and they are very small. The roofs at Central Elementary, Fillmore Elementary and the Middle School/High School all have 20 to 30 year warranties on them, and that is a fantastic place to be in," Smith said. 

This summer, the parking lot project at Central Elementary will kick off the day after Memorial Day. 

"Right now construction trailers are sitting there, but, hopefully, that will be complete this summer," Smith said. 

Smith said the upgrades will be a great tool in attracting families to his district.

"When families drive by and people are seeking out school districts, they don't always have an opportunity to come inside. The first thing they do is drive around the outside of a building, so having aesthetically pleasing buildings is a goal of mine and my school board to make sure our facilities are always top notch. That will attract families and students," Smith said. 

And, while the construction is currently underway, Smith said he is always thinking about the future and what projects his district can tackle and what the district will look like. 

"I always think about Wayne Gretzky's quote about you skate to where the puck is going, not to where it's been. We always want to anticipate needs. One of my, and superintendents around the state, job is to always be thinking ahead and what the need is in the future. The other piece of that is we want the overall student and family experience to be a complete package at South Putnam. These facilities is part of that," Smith said.