Dr. Barry Martin, superintendent, Monroe Public Schools, explained what is happening with the poles at Bunkelman FIeld and how repairs will go forward.

"Monroe High School’s Bunkelman Field has been closed for use due to the collapse of one of the stadium light poles.  Due to safety concerns, the stadium must remain closed until the remaining three light poles can be removed.  The Board of Education has contracted with a local company to remove these poles.  The removal of the poles must be done very carefully and calls for the use of heavy equipment.  Because of the mild winter weather conditions, the Monroe County Road Commission has implemented frost laws for Herr Road, the main access road to Monroe High School.  This prohibits the movement of heavy equipment on this road.  Additionally, there is concern that with the current weather conditions, bringing the necessary heavy equipment into the stadium itself to do the work could cause considerable damage to the track. 

"The school district is very aware of the issues this causes for the upcoming track season, and we are looking into options that will allow students to participate in track until Bunkelman Field is available.  Our greatest concern at this point is to be able to provide a safe area for sporting activities, and until the remaining poles can be removed from the stadium, it must remain unavailable for student or public use.  This is a complicated and challenging issue which is going to be disruptive to our sports program and costly for the school district, but safety must remain the priority as we work through this unfortunate situation."

When track practices begin, MHS will be using the Jefferson High School facilities for practices.