Board approves bids for air compressor, snow removal; district readies sports fields for spring

The board approved bids for a towable air compressor and multiple snow‑removal contracts at the Sept. 10 meeting and heard a facilities update describing plans to protect turf and hard‑surface athletic fields during winter.
Facilities Director Hicks told trustees the district received competitive bids for biennial snow removal at multiple campuses; most bid amounts were similar to two years ago. Intermountain Bobcat was the low bidder on the Airman 185 towable air compressor, which the director said is needed to blow out underground irrigation systems and to replace an older used compressor purchased in 2007.
In action items the board unanimously approved the bid package and the compressor purchase (motion by Mr. Long; second by Mrs. Day; voice vote carried). The meeting minutes show the motions passed on voice votes with no recorded roll‑call tally.
Field preparation: Hicks said the district has reversed a prior decision to limit field‑clearing and now plans to invest more resources to remove snow from key athletic fields so spring practices can proceed. The work will include repeated light snow‑pushing and blower passes to avoid damaging turf or infill. Hicks described vendor options for “turf pushers” (ProTech turf pusher) that mount on loaders and estimated a unit cost of about $5,000 if the district elects to purchase a pusher rather than rely only on contractors.
Administrators said they will advertise for additional snow‑removal personnel and coordinate schedules to avoid damage to the fields; the director emphasized the need to identify safe snow‑disposal locations as piles cannot be left on the playing surfaces. Trustees asked about equipment availability and the cost of repeated clearing operations; Hicks said he would return with more detailed cost estimates if the board wants to pursue equipment purchase versus contracting.
Ending: the board approved the bids and directed staff to bring more implementation detail and cost modeling for repeated winter field maintenance before the next budget cycle.