According to Superintendent Chad Harter, the stage used by the Community R-6 School District needs to be replaced.
The Community R-6 Board of Education approved the purchase of a new stage at …
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According to Superintendent Chad Harter, the stage used by the Community R-6 School District needs to be replaced.
The Community R-6 Board of Education approved the purchase of a new stage at its Jan. 21 meeting. A major selling point was the promise of long-term use by the district.
“Currently, the thing is a behemoth,” Harter said. “It’s a little bit sketchy (and) it’s been here for a long time.”
At the meeting, Harter presented a portable 20’ by 28’ ULine stage with an adjustable height between 16 and 24 inches, stairs, a stage skirt and railings to the board and recommended it move forward with the purchase.
“We believe that is what suits our needs — long term and short term,” Harter said.
Discussions about replacing the stage were initiated at the board’s Dec. 17 meeting when Harter presented a quote for a 12 by 24 foot ULine stage, basing the dimensions on the current stage at Community R-6, for approximately $14,000. And while the board agreed the replacement was necessary, the discussion was tabled and Harter was asked to bring back quotes for the larger stage.
For more than a year, Harter has been consulting with Tyler Kobush, custodian and assistant coach at Community, about the stage’s condition and the efficiency of being able to assemble and store the larger stage. He said the current sage is only used about four times a year, but he would like to see it be used more.
“I have a hard time asking two people to wrestle one of those things in from outside in the garage and traipse it inside,” Harter said, adding that setting up the stage can be an all-day project. “This would be something that would be easily folded up and stored underneath the stairs in the small gym."
What attracted Harter to this particular stage was that it is sold in sections. He said being able to replace it one section at a time makes sense.
“We’re taking a look, not at something just for the next couple of years, but we’re taking a look at something that should last us.”
The final cost of the new stage was $25,000 and the board approved the purchase unanimously.
