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Williamsport seeks engineering contract to replace Bowman Field netting using DCED grant funds
Summary
Staff presented a resolution to hire a consultant to design and prepare bid documents to replace and extend spectator netting at Bowman Field; engineering fee quoted at $25,500 and staff said the project is funded in part by a $750,000 DCED Sports Marketing and Tourism grant. No formal vote was recorded in the transcript.
City staff asked the Public Works Committee to authorize a professional-services agreement to design and prepare a public-bid package for replacing and extending spectator netting at Bowman Field.
Bill Scott (city engineer) described the work as replacing existing netting and extending coverage down the first- and third-base lines to meet Major League Baseball standards for spectator protection. "This is to replace the netting at Beaumont Field and add additional netting Major League standards require all spectator areas to be covered and we don't have that so it's pretty much what we're doing is replacing what netting we have and extending the netting pretty much down the first and third base lines," Scott said.
Valerie Bessler said the expense is part of a larger award the city received: "We applied for a grant from the, as Bill mentioned, DCED Sports Marketing and Tourism Grama, and, we were the recipients of $750,000 worth of funding, to go towards upgrades at Bowman Field. And this is 1 of the expenses that will be incurred by that grant." Staff presented an engineering-fee proposal of $25,500 for the design/specifications and said netting procurement and installation were estimated at more than $100,000 and possibly approaching $200,000.
Speakers discussed netting lifespan and maintenance; staff said the existing nets generally last seven to 10 years and are damaged by sun exposure and weather, particularly on the third-base side where bleachers face morning sun. The committee noted the Crosscutters are a Major League affiliate and that the netting is intended to protect seasonal spectators as well as special events.
The transcript does not record a formal vote on the proposed professional-services agreement. If approved, staff said the consultant would prepare engineered specifications and a public-bid package for procurement and installation under the DCED grant.
