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Photos by Evan Brandt
Boyertown Area Senior High School's former Memorial Stadium bleachers have already been and the footers for the new home bleachers are already in place.
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The cost of the $5.7 million project at Boyertown High School to replace Memorial Stadium, upgrade the softball field, build a concession and team room there and to construct a new maintenance building has increased by $1 million.
Tuesday night the school board voted 5-2 to make changes to the plans for the project in order to ensure it complies with federal Americans with Disabilities Act and Title IX regulations.
Board members Ruth Dierolf and Christine Neiman voted against the changes. Board members Jill Dennin and Donna Usavage were absent.
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| Images from Pesentation |
- Move Softball Varsity Field to area adjacent to Bear Stadium (current Junior Varsity Baseball Field)
- Relocate Junior Varsity Baseball Field to current Junior Varsity Softball Field
- Relocate Junior Varsity Softball Field to current Varsity Softball Field
- Perform some field maintenance work with BASD Staff
- Add 92-seat grandstand and pressbox to softball field and scoreboard
- ADA accessible ramp and a press box that accommodates two individuals
- Add support facilities that include: Concession (no food preparation); team room; toilets; utility/storage room
- Two free-standing dug-outs, each with storage
The presentation warned that the school district could be sued for violating either Title IX or ADA rules if the changes were not made.Title IX requires schools to maintain policies, practices and programs that do not discriminate against anyone based on sex and the varsity softball facility needs to be made "comparable" with the boys baseball facility to comply with Title IX, Superintendent Dana Bedden said Tuesday night.
In addition to a lawsuit, the district could also be disciplined by the U.S. Dept. of Education's Office of Civil Rights for title IX violations, which could even result in the loss of federal funding for the district, according to the presentation.
Neiman demanded to know why none of the Title IX requirements were identified in the original plan. "We hire all these people, we give them titles, they should know what they're doing," she said. "We run into this constantly."
Bedden said he could not speak to what went on before he arrived, but said he is Title IX certified and can help advise the district how to steer clear of violating the rules.
"It's better to catch these errors now, while the contractors are here," said Board President Steve Elsier.
Neiman also objects to the maintenance garage which is to be built as part of the project, saying she believes it will cost too much. But board member Clay Breece said providing a space for vehicle maintenance to be done will save money because it will allow district employees to do the work rather than having it outsourced to outside contractors.
Other factors increasing the cost of the project, according to the presentation, include a sharp increase in construction costs since the original scope was approved and stormwater issues such as:
$1 Million More for Stadium & Fields
Neiman demanded to know why none of the Title IX requirements were identified in the original plan. "We hire all these people, we give them titles, they should know what they're doing," she said. "We run into this constantly."
Bedden said he could not speak to what went on before he arrived, but said he is Title IX certified and can help advise the district how to steer clear of violating the rules.
"It's better to catch these errors now, while the contractors are here," said Board President Steve Elsier.
Neiman also objects to the maintenance garage which is to be built as part of the project, saying she believes it will cost too much. But board member Clay Breece said providing a space for vehicle maintenance to be done will save money because it will allow district employees to do the work rather than having it outsourced to outside contractors.
- Poor on-site soils and NPDES permit process that will force force spray irrigation
- Triggers upfront construction for all future items
- Dramatically increases initial costs
- Downsizing of project permits a single, cost-effective rain garden
To deal with the stormwater issues, the board unanimously approved a further erosion study by Barry Isset & Associations not to exceed $13,000.
To pay for all this additional cost, the project will be downsized and some other plans for other improved fields, which were to be designed and approved by the township but not yet built, will not be drawn up.
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Footers and infrastructure for the new Memorial Stadium
grandstands as they appeared Tuesday evening.
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Other aspects of the project will be reduced, such as building a second ticket booth, omitting work to improve the Berks Street entrance to the stadium and reducing the size of the maintenance building, all of which will save more than $854,000, the consultants calculated.
The board also voted 6-1 Tuesday night on a resolution which allows funds remaining from a 2015 borrowing to pay the additional $1,025,437 cost.
Several other things of interest happened during the meeting, but its too late to write them up now, although you can get a sense of them from the Tweets from the meeting below:
$1 Million More for Stadium & Fields
