The Cumberland County Board of Education Building and Ground Committee will meet tomorrow afternoon to discuss a proposed renovation project.

The Stone Memorial High School Football Boosters is seeking permission to enter into a contract with E3 Construction Services and PlayRite LLC to alter the current indoor football facilities.

The total cost would be fully funded by the booster club with no outside funds or financing being necessary.

It calls for the removal of the wall dividing the current weight room and visitor locker room which would provide more space. In addition, they have budgeted for an indoor turf surface to replace the current weight room flooring and allow for additional football activities to take place indoors.

In his letter to the director of schools, Panthers Head Football Coach Derik Samber said the current building was not constructed with a space dedicated specifically to a weight room and weightlifting is the lifeblood of any successful football program.

“An emphasis on weightlifting not only promotes on-field success but also created lifelong healthy habits for student-athletes who come through the football program,” said Samber.

“While the football program has made the most of the situation, the building no longer accommodates our entire team as currently constructed. With a roster consisting of 70 student-athletes and in a world of pandemics and social distancing, space is of the essence. Not only does out current building layout not allow for our space for our entire team to weightlift together, it also prohibits team film sessions. The only space now for that is the coaches’ office and it can only hold 25 percent of the team at one time.

Coach Samber took the proposal one step further.

“Prior to my arrival at Stone Memorial High School, the only space dedicated to our Middle School athletes was a room that had been built as shower stalls. Middle School athletes had to dress in shifts in this close quarters space that did not even provide a door for privacy. Upon my arrival, I made a conscious effort to invest in and promote our Middle School program and the student-athletes it serves. This investment included repurposing the high school equipment room into a dedicated Middle School locker room and giving up the head coach’s office in the process. This will open more space for the middle school football program.”

If the building and grounds committee accepts the proposal, it will be sent for a vote by the full board of education at a later time.