District to buy scoreboard, fog machine with gifts

Expect some grand entrances from the Grafton High School girls’ basketball team next year.

The School Board last week accepted a $375 gift from the Grafton Youth Girls Basketball Club to purchase a fog machine.

Supt. Jeff Nelson said the machine will be used during team introductions.

“It’s all about the aura,” he said. “That’s something our high school team has wanted for some time.”

The softball program will also be seeing an upgrade at its field.

The board accepted a $12,213 donation from the Grafton Stingers, the youth softball association, to replace the scoreboard at the Ninth Avenue field.

Both the high school softball team and the Stingers use that field for play, Nelson said.

The scoreboard, Nelson said, has been at the field for more than the nine years he’s been superintendent and is in need of an upgrade.

The new sign will be electronic but not digital, he added.

“It’s a typical scoreboard you see at fields,” he said. “It’ll help our softball team and the Stingers.

“It’s going to look great and they’re excited about it.”

The board also accepted a $600 donation from Renee and Clayton Riddle toward the third phase of its Enhancing Our Future initiative to improve the district’s athletic facilities.

That phase has been estimated to cost about $360,000 and includes a restroom and concession/storage building at the soccer field.

In other action, the board elected a familiar slate of officers for the coming year.

Board President Steve Nauta, Vice President Carrie Walls, Clerk Jerry Rossi and Treasurer Mark Koehler were re-elected to their respective positions for the next year.

The board also elected Shawn Taylor as its CESA #1 representative, Walls as its delegate to the Wisconsin Association of School Boards and Bob Mallon as its representative to the Southeastern Wisconsin Schools Alliance.