USD 417 Board Goal #3: Address Additional Sports Facility Needs
One of the stated BOE goals for this school year is to address the remaining needs for the USD 417 sports complex. If you will recall, last year the district replaced the visitor’s bleachers and added walkways to the stadium to meet ADA guidelines and code requirements for bleachers. There is more though that needs to be addressed in order to meet ADA requirements for the stadium and to ensure the longevity of the current home bleacher system. It is, and actually has been, a desire of the BOE to address the need for a larger, more functional concession stand and increased size of restrooms at the stadium. Hence, this work has become BOE Goal #3 for the 2016-17 school year.
Let me first explain why these projects are important for our district and community. Please keep in mind that the stadium is used primarily for USD 417 events but is used by our youth football program as well. Our current set of restrooms does not have the number of urinals and toilets to meet demand when events occur at the stadium. Further, the current ADA stalls are actually “modified” ADA stalls which would meet code for a second ADA accessible stall IF there was an approved, full sized ADA stall available, which there is not. Because of the size of these restrooms, if we were to put in place a full sized, ADA compliant stall then there would be little space available for additional toilets/urinals. The overall bathroom space is just too small.
In regards to our current home bleachers, what the public does not see is the deterioration of the concrete on the underside of the bleachers. We have spallation occurring that is exposing the metal rebar that serves as a major reinforcement for the bleacher structure. If we want to ensure long-term viability for this structure, we have to address this repair issue. The primary need is the cleaning of rust from the rebar and patching the spallation. A necessary preventative measure that is also needed is the sealing of gaps on the seating side of the structure and the waterproofing of the topside concrete. The purpose here is to reduce or eliminate the water leakage that is causing the underside spallation to occur. Further work to weatherize the structure includes eliminating all of the boarded up windows and most of the old door entrances by installing block and stone to these openings.
Last, current restroom and concession stand space will be rearranged to enlarge the official’s dressing room and to add more dry storage for the stadium. In a separate capital outlay project to the needs described above, the district will replace the roof to the current locker room structure. This roof is 25 years old and has some major issues. It is and has been on our district’s maintenance repair plan schedule for replacement this summer. It is our intent to coordinate all of this work into a single schedule.
So, there may be a question as to how the district is to pay for this work (not including the roof issue which will be paid through our capital outlay fund). Published in the Council Grove Republican on January 27 and February 3 is a notice to our patrons of the district’s intent to use a Lease Purchase agreement with a local bank to help finance this work. Over a 10-year period of time, or sooner, the district would pay back the agreement. This is the same arrangement the district used to finance the CGHS renovation project accomplished in the summer of 2015. The district was able to pay that agreement off in less than half of the 5 years stipulated in that agreement.
The district will use capital outlay funds to make the payments for the lease purchase agreement. I want patrons to understand that the capital outlay fund can be used for very few general operational expenses. It is to be used for capital projects like the stadium project. Yes, we have other needs for these funds as well. In fact we have a multi-year plan for projects that will need to be addressed in the future. The point that I want to make is that we will not use general operating funds for this work, solely funds from our capital outlay fund.
Final decisions regarding this project will be made at the March 13, 2017 BOE meeting. The hope the BOE has is that this project will complete the list of improvement needs for the stadium and that the project will provide needed restroom/concessions space and meet code and ADA requirements for our patron users. If final approval by the BOE is given, the remaining planning for this project will begin immediately. It is the intent of the district to bid out the work on the stadium bleacher system and the conversion of the current restroom space to storage and new official’s locker room. The larger project it is the intent of the district to use a Construction Manager At-risk process.