Earth work was scheduled to begin this week at Oconto Falls High School for an athletic field and nine-lane track, built with referendum funding approved by voters in August.
The Oconto Falls School Board on Sept. 15 selected a $315,000 stadium seating proposal from JW Industries, of Green Bay. The district budgeted $400,000 for seating.
Stadium capacity will be 1,800 seats, which will easily accommodate Friday night football fans and allow the district to host postseason events. The largest crowds at Panther football games have reached about 1,100 fans. The WIAA requires seating capacity of least 1,500 for hosting postseason events, even those for Division I schools, according to Jerry Moynihan, project manager.
Moynihan showed a sample of the aluminum bleachers to be used at the stadium. They are similar to the benches at Memorial Field.
The stadium is designed into a hill, with visitors entering at the upper level of the bleachers before stepping down stairway aisles to their seats.
Becks, of Norway, Michigan, won the School Board’s approval for irrigation with a bid of $15,331 and seeding and fertilization with a bid of $8,928, which includes four applications of fertilizer. The district budgeted $25,000 for each.
Two others submitted lower bids for irrigation, but the School Board chose Becks, based on its expertise and the continuity of having one company provide both services.
Administrators selected RelyCo for the excavation work at the site. The De Pere firm was the only company to submit a written proposal. Its bid of $210,000 surpassed the district’s initial estimate of $143,610.
The School Board authorized the administration to select contractors for electrical work and lighting, not wanting to delay the decision until the board meeting Oct. 13.
Moynihan said the only other “big ticket item” in the stadium will be the rubberized track, estimated to cost from $80,000 to $300,000.
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