BEATRICE – When the Beatrice Orangemen Football season comes to an end, the House of Orange at Beatrice High School soon after will be getting a new Field Turf playing surface. The Beatrice Board of Education Monday night gave the go-ahead to replace the current artificial surface at the stadium, now about 12 years old and at its lifespan.


The board unanimously approved a bid totaling $505,000 after receiving bids from five companies, narrowing that down to two.


Superintendent Jason Alexander says the emphasis was on durability. "The companies doing the installing give us better rates at the end of the football season than they do in the summer time when they are stacked full, and busy. So, if we approve this, our plan would be to move forward with it at the end of the football season, start getting the turf torn up and start replacement with the new turf, because we get a better discount rate at that point."

Field Turf sample
Field Turf sample  

 
Alexander says the district used a bidding agency, Nemaha Sports to evaluate the companies. The district will finance the acquisition over a three-year budget cycle…with the option to pay it off earlier.


Alexander says the type of surface the House of Orange has been using has an estimated life of 11-to-13 years.
"A lot of it is based on the base that your field sits on and how well constructed that is. We're very fortunate that that was done right the first time, so there may be some things they have to touch up on the base, but the base of the field itself is in very good condition."


The District 15 Board also authorized acquiring more playground equipment for the new elementary school, at the west side of the property…for kindergarten through fifth grades. Alexander says two sets of equipment from the former Stoddard Elementary have been added to the site. The district will now utilize a design by Creative Sites to add some items.


"It's kind of hard to explain, but it's kind of like a miniature ninja warrior course, so we have some of that equipment. The equipment we would be adding is $200,867...the installation is $113,350, which brings the total bill to $314,217."


A new sidewalk would connect the new playground equipment area with the current area…providing disability access. The board approved the purchase on a 6-0 vote.


A purchase of equipment from c-f-m distributors for the Beatrice Middle School and an installation quote from Prairie Mechanical Corporation were approved. The district needs to address about $100,000 of repairs to heating, ventilation and cooling systems at the Beatrice Middle School, high school and school administration buildings. Alexander says this project would focus on the middle school.


"It just comes down to coils being worn out, or compressors being worn out, or units just having failed altogether. What we've tried to do is meet with Prairie Mechanical to target those and prioritize them and this is the first unit that comes up on the priority list. At the middle school it serves the conference room and one other room...and basically it's stopped working altogether."


The cost of the equipment is $5,778…..while installation will be $4,935.