At this month’s Perry School Board meeting, the biggest discussion was on a topic not even on the agenda.

Board President Kyle Baxter said a few days before the meeting, he and other school administrators had met with three different architecture firms regarding the upcoming upgrade to the football complex. The project came to be through a $350,000 donation from the VanKirk family. The donation came with the stipulation that funds be matched by the District, and that it go towards improvements to Dewey Field.

After the meeting with the three firms, the Board feels they’ve found a good match with Larson Engineering. Superintendent Clark Wicks says they will likely bring the firm in for a meeting with the Board next week. Once the architecture firm is in place, they hope to start working on a master plan for the facility in September, begin the bid process in January, and start construction in April. If all goes well, the new football complex will be ready for use in the 2018-2019 school year.

Wicks says the project is very exciting, and he feels it will be a great way to encourage school spirit. “Right now, we want to give that Dewey Field a facelift, so when people come in there they can feel that Bluejay pride. So we want that to be a very signature kind of entrance for our students and our community.”

To hear more about the Perry School Board meeting, listen to last Tuesday’s Perry Fareway Let’s Talk Dallas County program at RaccoonValleyRadio.com.