As first reported on Focus on the Community, School Superintendent Dana Ayers reached out to 20 community members and local businesses, seeking their financial support to illuminate high school sports events, enabling young athletes to compete under the night sky.
Currently, both baseball games at Smoky Mountain High School and the softball field in Webster are conducted solely in the natural daylight, lacking proper lighting infrastructure. SMHS stands as the sole baseball field in the conference unable to host games under artificial lights on their home turf. As a result, junior varsity baseball games are often cut short when scheduled on the high school field after varsity games. Ayers is actively soliciting price quotes and financial backing to make this transformation a reality, ideally before the upcoming spring season.
Acknowledging budget constraints within the school, Ayers is reticent to approach the Jackson County Board of Commissioners for funding, given their existing commitments to a lengthy list of other projects. The initial cost estimate for installing baseball and softball lights stands at approximately $430,000, with Ayers already earmarking $110,000 towards the project. Tax-deductible donations can be sent directly to the school board to support this endeavor.
