BIG changes coming for Harvester Field.

On Monday, August 28, a regular meeting of the Board of Trustees of Pampa Independent School District (ISD) was held to discuss several topics up for consideration. While part of the session is closed to the public, the public hearing had plenty of exciting news to offer anyone who may have saw fit to attend.

One of the most exciting changes was the approval and announcement to officially name the stadium at Harvester Field the “Zach Thomas Stadium at Harvester Field” in recognition of Zach Thomas being a positive role model for future Fighting Pampa Harvesters and his contributions to the Pampa community. Thomas was recently elected into the Pro Football Hall of Fame and several residents of the City of Pampa were in attendance during his induction on August 5th. Thomas’ number 32 Harvester jersey now stands on display in Ohio for all to see. At the induction, Thomas was also presented with the idea of the stadium at Harvester Field being named in his honor, where he gave his blessing on the project.

In addition to a new name for the stadium, approval was also given to begin architectural services in preperation for the construction of the new video scoreboard that will be added to Harvester Field in the coming months. The 400k porject was completely funded by sponsors who have made payment pledges for the next 10 years, seeing it as a smart investment for the community as a whole as well as the benefits it brings the school. Schools with similar jumbotron technology use theirs for community movie nights, fundraising, and so much more than just football games. The booster club presented Coach Cody Robinson with the idea originally in December of 2022, who rose to the challenge and began speaking with sponsors about it. Safe to say all of their hard work has paid off and the dream of a video board in Harvester Field will soon be a reality.

Another noteworthy resolution came in the form of the 2023 tax rate adjustment. Over the past 20 years, the Pampa ISD tax rate has seen a steady decline, resulting in lower taxes for local residents. The final approved rate was $1.1880 per $100.00, down from $1.2133 last year. This downward trend is good news for taxpayers who have been struggling with inflation rates everywhere else over the past year.

Pampa ISD holds it’s monthly school board meetings the last monday of every month at the administration building on N. Hobart street for anyone who wishes to attend.