Baseball, softball and band are three programs going strong in the Okarche Public Schools district.
And new ball fields and a new band room will be located near Sixth Street and Kansas Avenue by spring of 2023, and the new facilities may be ready to use in fall 2022.
New baseball and softball fields will be built along with covered seating in bleachers, and a structure to serve as a concession stand, restroom and press box facility that can be used for both softball and baseball fields.
Lighting will be installed for night games.
Superintendent Josh Sumrall said the plans are being made with the architect, and the hope is all will be done by August, 2022 for the start of the seasons. Okarche boys play fall baseball and girls play fast pitch softball in the fall.
“The architect is hoping for August, 2022, that might be a stretch but that is the target date. Spring of 2023 for certain,” Sumrall said.
The final details will be released in October, Sumrall said.
“We haven’t gotten that detailed yet, we will be between now and October,” Sumrall said.
The baseball and softball programs are doing well and we have a bright future with junior . Baseball and softball starts in seventh grade in Okarche.
Architects in Partnership of Norman, and construction manager Brandon Box of Rick Scott Construction of Ponca City are working on both projects. The ballpark figure for the two fields, would be about $2.7 million.
A band room project will cost about $900,000, and the work will also take about a year to renovate the old cafeteria for the original Okarche Elementary School for the future room. The band room will be about 2,000 square feet in space.
With both projects going on simultaneously, the same work crews will be able to put in time on both ongoing projects
“Were are trying to save money by doing them both at the same time,” Sumrall said.
A new room for the band is important to the program, Sumrall said.
“Obviously with our band program we started a few years ago, they are without facilities and practice in gymnasium lobby. They really need a place to call home and have classes and store their instruments,” Sumrall said.
This summer, the old elementary school was demolished, but the cafeteria was left.
The cafeteria building was going to be used for storage, but the band room idea is better because it is located between the two Okarche campuses, Sumrall said.
“With the baseball and softball complex, right now the school does not own the fields we play on. This is an opportunity to build our own facilities. Everything else on campus is pretty modern, and brand new. We think it is time to update our baseball, softball and band facilities and build them on our campuses,” Sumrall said.
The two ball fields will have turf surfaces for use year-round. Okarche will also be able to host tournaments.
The work on the projects could begin as early as November.
The projects will be funded by the Okarche building fund, and the district will not need a bond issue election, Sumrall said.
