Cost Forces BOE to Scale Back Bleacher Plan

At least the home team fans will get the best seats.

The Board of Education changed the game plan Thursday on a plan to replace the bleachers at football field. The reason: cost.

Once school officials began crunching the numbers, it appeared that the cost to replace both the home and visitor side bleachers at the football field could eclipse the $1 million mark. That figure proved too rich for the blood of board members, who voted unanimously to replace only the home team side bleachers, which estimates show could cost about $862,000. Last week, the board voted to set aside $800,000 to replace both sets of bleachers.

"We had a structural engineer test the [visiting team] bleachers for us, and the results were fine," said Business Administrator Jim Edwards, who added that a few rows on the visitors' side that weren't in good shape could be replaced with wood removed from the home team side.

Raising the cost of replacement bleachers was a number of factors, including the fact that the facility would have to be built to comply with the Americans With Disabilities Act, and the bleachers would have to include wheelchair access, ramps and a wider birth in between rows.

Board members committed Thursday night to build new bleachers that will include 2,000 seats, ramps and a new press box.

Whether the new bleachers will be ready by graduation time – BTHS graduation ceremonies are traditionally held outdoors at the football field – is still up in the air. The companies that manufacture bleachers, as well as local contractors, must align schedules, Edwards said. If the bleachers cannot be installed in time for graduation, the current facilities will have to do.

"The bleachers that we have, with the replacement of boards, could be used for graduation with the exception of the side sections," said Edwards.

Those side sections were closed off to spectators at football games this fall, and the district borrowed extra seating from the township to accommodate large crowds.