Sumner Co. Schools addresses unsafe bleachers: ‘We weren’t doing a thorough enough job’
Portland was one of the high schools, along with Hendersonville and Beech, whose bleachers failed an inspection last week.
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WSMV) - Tuesday, the Sumner County School Board will meet and talk about how they plan to rebuild their stadiums. Last week, an inspector deemed bleachers at three different area high schools unsafe.
WSMV4 spoke with Director of Schools, Dr. Scott Langford, who said SCS bleachers were not up to standards.
Friday, when Portland High School played White House during their rivalry game, there was a wide-open space Ken Knack sat next to.
“Apparently this one failed inspection and they had to close it, so that’s why I’m sitting here,” he explained.
Portland was one of the high schools, along with Hendersonville and Beech, whose bleachers failed an inspection last week.
“Obviously we weren’t doing a thorough enough job making sure everything was where it needed to be,” said Dr. Langford.
He knows there were problems. WSMV4 saw them at Hendersonville High School bleachers where seats were bent and supported with stacks of bricks.
“Why weren’t those problems reported in the first place?” asked WSMV4′s Marissa Sulek. “Why were they using a makeshift solution here?”
“I think everyone did the best they could,” said Dr. Langford. “And it’s just like everything else, you never imagine a large cement structure – the Hendersonville structure was built in the mid-1960 ′s and it’s been there ever since. 50-plus years and I think in everyone’s mind it was safe.”
He said other officials found out that was not the case. He now wants to install steel and aluminum stands and get rid of the cement ones. It’s a direction he will talk to Sumner County School Board members about along with routine inspections they didn’t have before.
“What is your guys’ protocol for inspectors?” asked Sulek. “Do you guys usually do an annual inspection with a third party?”
“It’s hard for me to answer that,” said Dr. Langford. “We researched state law and everything. There really aren’t any guidelines statewide on cement structure bleachers.”
Langford wants to make sure annual or biennial inspections are done. Wilson County Schools said for 15 years they’ve done annual inspections, while Metro Nashville Public Schools has been doing biennial checks.
“I think we are guilty as anyone else for not investing in infrastructure like that,” said Dr. Langford. “But we chose classrooms, we chose schools, we chose to provide the best student experience. Now, as this has come to light, we are going to do everything in our power to make our stadiums and athletic facilities as safe as possible.”
Tuesday night, Sumner County School Board members will figure out the best way to spend taxpayer money to improve stadiums. They are also meeting with an architect this week.
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