Comprehensive plan for TPS may include idea of dome at THS

A proposed athletic dome at the high school mentioned at the February 8 Tecumseh Public Schools (TPS) school board meeting was only an idea, according to Superintendent Kelly Coffin.

“The purpose of the conversation was to discuss if we needed to include it in the site plans with Dailey Engineering,” Coffin said. “There are currently no plans to build this dome.”

The dome would be over the tennis courts at the high school, and enable the schools and the community the ability to use the courts throughout the year, regardless of the weather. The state of Mich-igan re-quires architectural drawings to be submitted for all improvements or construction of athletic complexes. The question was posed at the meeting if the dome would need to be added to the architectural plans. Coffin said that was not the case, as the foundation was already in place.

“While we are not able to fund or do all the things we want to right now, we do need to create one comprehensive plan and submit it,” Coffin said. “We have to allocate those funds to complete these projects.”

Coffin said there were safety issues involving the structure of domes, and that the idea to build the dome was simply a thought of what the school board could do with the area. “We want to consider what could be the best use of that space,” Coffin said. “We’re thinking how we want to capitalize our use of it and give an additional place for athletes to use during all four seasons.”

Public opinion would be considered before construction of the dome begins, Coffin noted. “We would bring in a community group down the road to see what could happen, but at this time, there are no plans to do that.”

In other school board news, contracted First Student bus drivers were rated first in safety among all 82 First Student Transportation locations in Michigan, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois and Wisconsin.

The drivers are given reviews on a monthly basis, which contribute to the ratings. Timeliness, fuel efficiency, and safety are all looked at as part of the review.

“All of our buses are connected through GPS monitoring, and we’re spot-on with stops,” Coffin said. “They measure the amount of time between stops, and the safety of students entering and exiting our buses.

“We’re usually in the top three, so it’s a great opportunity to be at the top,” Coffin said. “It goes to the dedication and hard work of everyone in the department.”