Hartselle parents and softball players packed the Board of Education’s central office for a work session Monday do discuss the options for the Hartselle softball program. | Brent Maze

Parents, students, BOE talk about options for athletic program

Nearly 100 people crowded into the Hartselle Board of Education’s central office Monday night about the facilities that should be provided to the Hartselle High School softball program on the new high school campus.

Many of those present were concerned that the softball program wasn’t receiving equal and adequate facilities at the new Bethel Road site, especially after learning that the new $2 million fieldhouse would provide locker rooms for baseball and football, but not for softball.

Howard Leslie asked the board why it wasn’t the other way around.

“Why not reverse it? Let the girls have the facility and the boys take the refurbished facility,” Leslie said.

Liz Carter, one of two board attorneys present at the meeting, responded saying that it was a numbers issue because the football has at least 110 players and baseball has about 60 athletes in the program.