Coffee invite brought Central, Paddock Lake leaders together

Marlene Goodson

If you were at the April 21 Paddock Lake Village Board meeting, where the village rejected a Central High School bid to get approval to use its new stadium this spring, you would have been hard pressed to see any way the two sides could come together soon.

During the meeting there were stern scoldings by village officials — even some borderline mocking of the siting of the stadium. The school had plenty of time to address safety concerns at the site, but had not, the village said.

School officials were insistent that they could address any safety issue the village had if they were granted some time and consideration. They walked out clearly disheartened — and a little frustrated — after the vote.

Mary Ellen Pearsall

Yet representatives of both sides are meeting today to see if there is yet another way to overcome the problems that leave the stadium largely completed, but unable to be used.

How’d that happen?

It was due to a phone call and some talk over coffee.

Central School Board President Mary Ellen Pearsall called village President Marlene Goodson and suggested the informal meeting. The two met at a coffee shop and talked matters over.

Pearsall said she sought to improve communication with the village which, she saw as lacking.

For her part, Goodson was not expecting Pearsall’s call.

“I was very surprised,” Goodson said. “”I respect the fact that she wanted to find out for herself where this broke down.”

If things went well today, Central district administrator Scott Pierce said he would ask for a special meeting of the Village Board so the stadium might still be used this spring.

There’s no word yet on how it went.

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