Horry County Schools declines funding request for Doug Shaw

Horry County Schools has declined to contribute funds to refurbishments for Doug Shaw Memorial Stadium, according to School Board Chairman Joe DeFeo.

DeFeo said the project would put Doug Shaw far ahead of other facilities in the district, and that the School Board needs to attend to other assets before paying additional attention to Myrtle Beach High School’s stadium. Myrtle Beach had requested $2 million from the school system for a project that could top $6 million in total.

“We have to be fair to all of our schools and areas,” DeFeo said.

Myrtle Beach Councilman Wayne Gray made a formal presentation to the school board in September requesting the $2 million. Monday night, he told The Sun News that the city would likely continue working with the school system to move forward on the project.

“What we’ll probably say is look at the expansion to the facility for...the school, sports tourism and the community at large, and continue to work with the School Board,” he said.

Assistant City Manager Ron Andrews said that the project, which was already soliciting bids from contractors and scheduled to begin in January, could narrow, if City Council chooses.

“We sort of anticipated there could be some changes in the scope, so we’ve prepared for that,” Andrews said.

The stadium is owned by the city and the school district. Suggested renovations included a track expansion, changes to locker rooms and restrooms and improved seating.

Doug Shaw is home to school events, like Myrtle Beach High School football games, in addition to sports tourism events, like collegiate track invitationals. City officials estimate that sports tourism brings a $200 million economic impact to the area.

“This is a jointly-owned asset,” Gray said. “We think that improvements that are being offered by the city benefits everyone.”

Sun News reporter Christian Boschult contributed to this story.

This story was originally published December 12, 2016 at 7:09 PM with the headline "Horry County Schools declines funding request for Doug Shaw."