School board approves bleacher purchase for high school grandstand

By Oliver Lazenby

The Blaine School Board approved the district to purchase bleachers and a press box for $1.37 million at a February 13 special meeting.

The bleacher structure, built by Southern Bleacher of Graham, Texas, will have a total of 2,056 seats, including 232 with backrests and 16 spaces reserved for wheelchair seating. It will also include a roof and a press box that’s 10-feet by 36-feet with four separate compartments. The price includes installation.

School was cancelled for snow on the day of the special meeting. Four board members were present at the meeting, and board member Joan Lotze participated over the phone. Board members voted unanimously in favor of approving the bleacher order.

Since the district is purchasing the bleachers from a state-approved vendor, it doesn’t need to go through a formal bidding process.

The bleachers and press box are one of two components of the high school grandstand project. The other is the building underneath, which includes concession stands, restrooms, storage, an electrical room and an equipment drying room.

That portion of the project should go to bid around March 1, school district superintendent Ron Spanjer said at the February 13 special meeting. The district’s architect for the project, Zervas Architects of Bellingham, estimated the portion underneath the bleachers and press box will cost $2.6 million.

The school district allocated $3.14 million total for the grandstand project (both the bleachers and underlying building) in its 2018 levy, but initial estimates for the project came in high. The school board voted at a January 28 meeting to move forward with plans similar to the original design, rather than downsizing the project to make it cheaper.

The district expects to pay for any extra cost with contingency money left over from its 2015 bond, Spanjer said. Once the final phase of high school construction is completed this summer the district hopes to have about $900,000 in contingency money left over from the 2015 bond, which paid for the high school’s construction.

For more information on the bleacher design, see bit.ly/2ClU80F