Board reviews stadium bleacher-extension plan; change-order price to be finalized next week

Mifflin County School District officials and the contractor for the new multi‑sport stadium updated the board on plans to extend the upper deck behind the home-side bleachers and to finish adjoining concrete and site work.

The district’s director of buildings and grounds, Mr. White, and Diedrich Bates of Keystone Sports described the scope as widening the bleacher concourse by about 4 feet on the east side, filling the existing gap between the concourse and the slope behind the bleachers, extending the aluminum bleacher support and decking, and adding pier foundations to carry the deck extension. Bates said soil testing and geotechnical work showed the ground will support the planned piers.

Why it matters: completing the upper concourse and closing the gap will create usable standing and circulation space behind the home bleachers the district intends for graduation spectating and other events; contractors said the design change responds to as‑built conditions where the bleacher placement left an unexpectedly large gap.

Key cost details presented to the board (figures as stated by contractors): materials, delivery and installation for the bleacher extension were described as under $59,000; concrete work was described as about $4,000; site work including piers and grading was described as about $53,000; a retaining/related item was discussed around $15,000. The presenter said those line items are part of the proposed change order. The meeting recording also captured the district’s contingency and budget position: about $81,000 in contingency remains and staff reported being about $78,000 under budget on the other half of the project, leaving roughly $159,000 available across those lines, as described during the meeting.

Board members and contractors reviewed construction delays that affected the stadium schedule. Contractors and project managers said the project lost time after a redesign for support caissons, plus additional delay for a retaining wall product and an atypically long winter; the contractors said those issues together accounted for multiple weeks of delay and pushed final phases into the late spring.

Graduation planning: board members pressed for clarity on whether the district could hold graduation at the new stadium. During discussion several board members said it was time to make a decision and directed staff to notify families; staff noted parking-lot capacity and safety remained factors. No formal, roll-call vote on the graduation location was recorded in the transcript; staff indicated they would issue notice based on the board’s direction at the meeting.

Next steps and votes: Keystone’s change‑order proposal for the upper deck was presented for board consideration but no final change‑order vote was recorded that night. Board members and staff said the formal change-order amount and supporting paperwork would be presented at next week’s board meeting for action. Contractors said they will return for punch‑list work and any required mobilization after turnover.

Speakers quoted or referenced in this article are from the meeting transcript; direct quotations were limited to maintain clarity and parity with the recorded presentation. The board packet and the contractor’s formal change‑order documents will contain the official, itemized change‑order amount when submitted for a recorded vote.

Ending: District staff said remaining work consists largely of finishing bleachers, paving, striping and final landscaping; contractors said they will mobilize to complete those punch‑list items once weather and sequencing allow, and the board will consider the formal change order at the next meeting.