Here’s what Madison School District’s $27 million bond paid for

REXBURG — It’s back-to-school time at Madison High School and students are getting a first look at the results of a $27 million bond passed back in 2017. “I hope for a feeling of pride,” said Madison School District Superintendent Geoffrey Thomas. “That the students can look at the facilities that have been constructed for them and recognize the support the community has for them. The school bond was passed to accommodate for growth and to improve facilities across the Madison School District 321. “We built classrooms onto Kennedy and Burton Elementary. Those are two of our fastest-growing elementary schools. The classrooms are in use right now. We built 12 additional classrooms on to the high school, including two science labs and a robotics lab,” said Thomas. “The new science labs are literally state-of-the-art,” said Madison High School Principal Mike Bennett. “We’re able to prepare kids for a whole new kind of world and we have a really nice facility and top-quality teachers that can get the training they need and have all the tools they need.” While administrators express gratitude for the classroom projects, it is the athletic facilities that really grab the community’s attention–especially the football stadium. “The home side of the stadium holds 4,500 people. The ability to house the fans for Madison all in one place will be great,” said Logan Bingham of Headwaters Construction. “The field is lit by LED lights and the lights have been pre-engineered to hit every part of the field at just the right angle. The field really does just kind of glow and shine when those lights hit it at nighttime. According to Bingham, the turf is the same quality that is used for professional football fields. “One of the important elements of the turf that we selected is what’s called a concussion pad. The concussion pad is underneath the turf and then you put the carpet turf down and then the infill inside of that. When I walk out on the field, even I feel like an All-Star,” said Bingham. Adding to the professional-quality turf and lighting system, Idaho Central Credit Union made a sizable contribution to fund a state-of-the-art digital video scoreboard. “It’s the same scoreboard you find at any professional field,” said Madison High School Assistant Football Coach Erick Wills. It does live playback. It can do full-motion video. The sound is absolutely amazing. People are surprised that it comes from one speaker cluster up on the top, but it can be heard a mile or two away.” Madison High School Athletic Director, Shane Proctor expressed his gratitude for the new athletic facilities. “To walk out there and realize this is our own and realize how impressive everything is really was something different. Our kids are going to be able to utilize this for years and years to come.” According to Bennett, the new track and soccer stadium will seat a thousand people, and he looks forward to holding big events and track meets there. “We have nine lanes and our previous track only had seven. The specifications on the track are top-notch. We can host all the events that Boise State University can host. The Boise State track is the facility it was mostly designed after,” said Bennett. Other new additions to Madison High School include four practice soccer fields, a practice football field, and additional parking. Click here for more: https://www.eastidahonews.com/2019/08/heres-what-madison-school-districts-27-million-bond-paid-for/