Wood County BOE purchases land for new ball field

Wood County Board of Education President Justin Raber, Erickson All-Sports Facility Development Corporation President Rick Bush and Assistant Superintendent of Operations Kaleb Lawrence signed the official documents Tuesday night to purchase the Erickson All Sports Facility land for the purpose of building a baseball and softball field. (Photo by Douglass Huxley)

PARKERSBURG — The Wood County Board of Education voted Tuesday night to purchase the Erickson All Sports Facility land for the purpose of building a baseball and softball field.

“We’ve been negotiating this situation for the past five years,” said Rick Bush, Erickson All-Sports Facility Development Corporation president. “We have an incredible solution I hope you can approve unequivocally.”

Bush said the deal centers around 7.5 acres previously used as a practice football field.

“We’re selling this land for $135,000,” Bush said. “Which is remarkable considering it was recently appraised at over $800,000.”

Bush gave the board one stipulation for making the offer — the board must build lights for the new stadium.

Rick Bush, Erickson All-Sports Facility Development Corporation president, spoke to the Wood County Board of Education Tuesday night about purchasing the Erickson All Sports Facility land for the purpose of building a baseball and softball field. (Photo by Douglass Huxley)

“We’re going to take the $135,000 you pay us for the land, and we’re going to put that with money that we have raised, and we’re going to, in turn, turn around and contribute $300,000 to immediately putting lights in the first bid and putting the lights in as the field is built,” Bush said. “The deal we have worked out is that if we sell you that for $135,000 and then we turn around and give you $300,000 for the lights, you will finish the lights. You are committing to finishing the lights.”

The board voted unanimously to purchase the land.

The board also named Stephen Tupitza from VanDevender Middle School as the Wood County Schools Teacher of the Year from over 200 nominations. Director of Curriculum and Instruction Candace Lewis said that 200 was dwindled down to five for the final decision. Other finalist included:

* Joshua Dubs from Parkersburg High School

* Tana Stanley from Williamstown High School

* Kathryn Nestor from Parkersburg South High School

* Sam Vincent from Parkersburg High School

Lewis said all the finalists represent “the very best of what it means to be a teacher,” highlighting their ability to “inspire curiosity, encourage growth, and go above and beyond to ensure every student feels seen, supported, and empowered.”

She said Tupitza exemplifies this commitment by showing up for students beyond the classroom, attending academic competitions, sporting events, and performances. His approach demonstrates that teaching is about more than curriculum — it’s about making students feel valued and understood.

“I love all my students,” Lewis read from Tupitza’s entry letter. “I love them for who they are. I love them because they are a person.”

The board also held numerous recognitions for students from throughout the district for their recent accomplishments in band and orchestra. Board member Ron Tice said these accompaniments are due to the instructors in Wood County Schools.

“I see all these children coming by and they’re winning all these awards in music and band,” Tice said. “A shout out really should be going to the teachers that provide that quality instruction so those children can win those awards. If you don’t have quality instructors, you’re not going to win anything.”

During board comments, Board President Justin Raber said the board is set to approve the bid for the new Lubeck Elementary School at its May 6 meeting.

“The bids came in at a wonderful price,” Raber said. “Three were between $19 and $20 million, with one coming in over $21 million.”

He said the low bidder is a local company that will be using exclusively local contractors and subcontractors.

“Because of this community and individuals like the Erickson board, our local union members, they ensured that this bond got passed, and we’re keeping it here local, which I think is absolutely fantastic,” Raber said.

Raber also talked about the storage strategy the district is using to manage equipment and materials during school restructuring. He said the district has already begun expanding storage capabilities, including:

* Converting part of the bus garage into a warehouse

* Placing two storage units at Fairplain

* Planning to add up to four more storage units

“We have two at Fairplain (Elementary) now, and we have four more, or up to six more that will be utilized,” Raber said.

He praised the efforts of all in the district, specifically noting Fairplain Elementary Principal Julie Gibson’s collaborative efforts in approving the storage unit locations.

“I know Mr. Lawrence (Assistant Superintendent of Operations Kaleb Lawrence) and his team met with Miss Gibson today, and she is working very diligently with the central office and approved the location of those storage units. And that’s the type of effort that’s going on in this county. Fairplain is a fantastic school that is using part of their facility to be able to meet the needs of the county as a whole. And all of our schools do that.”

The next regular meeting of the board of education is scheduled for May 6 at Lubeck Elementary at 6 p.m. The meeting is open to the public and will be streamed online.

Douglass Huxley can be reached at [email protected]