Brookhaven School District board membersheard from officials of the Diamond Club and the Brookhaven HighSchool baseball team about a proposal for a new $160,000 fieldhouse at the school.

    The team visited the board Tuesday night to share their plans forearning what money they could and hoped to get the board’s help andsupport of the project.

    Diamond Club President Shannon Clark and Treasurer Stan Fosterpraised the team for their hard work on and off the field and theirdedication to both academics and athletics.

    “They’re deserving of a new field house,” Clark said. “We’re notcomplaining (about the current facilities). We would just reallylike to tell corporate sponsors that we have the board’s help andapproval.”

    Foster explained there would be plenty of room for additionalpartners to get involved, and he hoped the board would considerpartnering as well.

    In the next year, the team hopes to raise funds for about half thecost, and seeks corporate sponsorship for the remainder.

    The team plans to hold various events and fundraisers through theschool year to raise about $63,400 to go toward the cost of the1,750-square-foot building, according to a plan the Diamond Clubpresented to the board.

    “We’re trying to put our best foot forward, and show that we’reserious about this,” Foster said of their appearance at themeeting.

    Clark passed around photographs of the current facilities for theboard to review. They showed the condition of the bathrooms and thelack of locker room space for team members to use.

    Clark explained the bathrooms are what visitors remember when theycome from out of town, and that some of the players have to changeoutside because of the small locker room space.

    School Board President Carl Aycock thanked the club and the teamfor coming to the meeting with their plan and concerns.

    “We’ll do everything we can to make that a reality,” he said of thenew field house.

    Board member Stan Patrick agreed the current facilities are out ofdate and that a new structure would be beneficial.

    “It’s been needed for a long time,” he said. “The field is one ofthe best but the rest is terrible.”

    The board members discussed the challenge of finding any funds tohelp the Diamond Club realize the dream of a new field house.

    “Finding the dollars is going to be the tale of the tale,” Patricksaid.

    Board member Willie Harrison expressed the same sentiments.

    “I hope we can find some way or another so we can get behind themon this,” he said.

    Superintendent Dr. Lisa Karmacharya explained to the board that sheinvited the team and the club to come to the board Tuesday withtheir ideas.

    “I asked the parents and the kids to come because coming from them,it’s a whole different thing than if it’s just coming from me,” shesaid.

    In other board matters, the members approved the financial reportfor July, a handbook for the Martin Child Care center and severalpersonnel matters including approval of substitute teachers andstudent transfers.

    Karmacharya also reported on all around attendance numbers for thebeginning of the school year in the district. She explainedenrollment is approximately 3,000, and that attendance rates havebeen right at 97 to 98 percent for the year so far, despite someslight dips, which she attributed to a minor strep throatoutbreak.