School board OK's fencing for old baseball field

The Wahkiakum School District board of directors last week approved a proposal to put fencing around the old high school baseball field.

The high school baseball team has used the field which is adjacent to the district's elementary and middle school buildings since schools were built in Cathlamet.

School officials had planned to move baseball games to new athletic fields near the high school, but poor drainage makes the new baseball field too wet, said Superintendent Bob Garrett. A softball field on the new athletic fields is drier and usually useable, he said.

The fencing would provide a boundary for the field and keep balls from rolling into streets.

Directors supported the proposed fence, which was estimated to cost $7,957.

Directors wondered about the possibility of an outfield fence for the softball field, but Garrett warned against too much spending.

The state legislature is still working on its budgets, and proposed budgets would cut state appropriations to the district $60,000 to $175,000, Garrett said.

In other business:

--The board accepted the resignation of John Hannah as high school wrestling coach. Hannah has coached wrestling for nine years; he said he wants to move to other activities.

"This decision has not been an easy one to make, but I know in my heart that it is the correct one for me and the wrestling program," he said in his letter of resignation.

--Garrett reported that in a recent audit of district records, the Washington State Auditor had no findings that needed to be addressed.

--Enrollment in March reached 448.15 full-time student equivalents (FTEs), up from 441.35 in February. The 2009-2010 budget is based on 440 FTEs, Garrett said.