The Columbia High School baseball team will be getting new dugouts in the district’s first athletic upgrades in more than 15 years.
The school board voted Oct. 12 to take bids on the work in hopes of having it done before the season starts in February.
Superintendent Jason Harris said it’s a health issue because of potential mold caused by 6 inches of water that stands in the dugouts after rains.
The existing structures will be torn out, and the home side along the third-base line will be shifted back some so that it lines up correctly, Harris said. He said the first base side is already aligned properly.
There will also be new bleachers to replace wooden ones that Harris said were probably built in the 1960s. He said the price of the bleachers is anticipated at about $17,500.
State law requires publishing an advertisement in the newspaper soliciting bids for projects greater than $50,000. Harris said they weren’t sure if this would exceed that, but they are seeking bids to be safe. He said the baseball booster club will pay 10 percent.
The district has about $639,000 left over from its nearly $10 million bond issue for facility upgrades, according to Business Manager Kim Rogers.
Federal Title IX requirements dictate what is done for baseball must also be done for softball, and Harris said they are compiling several smaller projects to improve the softball field.
Board members debated taking bids for a new baseball concession stand, which they agreed needs to be replaced, but decided to take that up next year.
Harris said they also considered football stadium upgrades, but cost estimates were $1.3 million. The superintendent said they are planning to go about funding that another way.
Harris said overall they are wrapping up the construction projects paid by the bond issue. The biggest one left is getting a card-less reader system up at Jefferson Middle School, he said.
Pictured Above: The dugouts and bleachers at John Sapen Jr. Field will be replaced as part of a renovation of the Columbia High School baseball facilities. Superintendent Jason Harris said the dugouts pose a health threat because water pools in them and could cause mold. | Photo by Charlie Smith
