Brea Olinda board directs staff to pursue artificial turf, favors aluminum bleachers for stadium upgrades

Trustees at a study session of the Brea Olinda Unified School District on an unspecified date directed staff to pursue installation of artificial turf at Brea Olinda High School nd signaled support for replacing aging concrete home stands with aluminum bleachers.

The board iscussion followed a staff presentation on tiered stadium projects, geotechnical findings and funding options. Rick Champion, assistant superintendent of business services, and Jeff Ferrato, administrative director of facilities, presented the case that subsurface fill and expansive soils have caused settling and safety hazards across the stadium and field areas, creating both accessibility and liability concerns. Ferrato outlined three seating options: a temporary patch/fill (estimated $45,000), a full aluminum-bleacher replacement (approximately $3,000,000) and a complete concrete rebuild (roughly $8.5 million). Trustees repeatedly cited safety, ADA access and long-term maintainability in supporting aluminum bleachers.

Board members discussed the turf decision in tandem. Jeff and athletics staff described turf s higher upfront cost but lower irrigation and heavy-use downtime, while staff warned of maintenance requirements and the need for stricter field-use rules. Staff estimated adding artificial turf would increase the lower athletic complex budget by about $750,000 to $1.25 million. Several trustees and coaches favored turf for its durability and scheduling benefits; the board gave informal direction to include turf as a —urrent priority and to reflect an additional up-to-$1.25 million option in project scoping.

The board did not take a formal vote to appropriate funds tonight. Instead trustees asked cabinet to work with PJHM (architects) to produce design options and refined cost estimates that fit the district—unding constraints and a target not-to-exceed budget discussed during the meeting. Rick Champion summarized available sources (Fund 40 capital reserves, Measure H bond proceeds, and an expected Hope Fund distribution) and told the board he will return with more detailed funding allocations and designs.

What happens next: staff will return with architect-developed plans, cost estimates and a recommended phasing that shows how turf and seating would fit alongside the required path-of-travel (ADA) and other lower athletic complex work. The board irected staff to show turf scenarios (including one that adds up to $1.25 million) and to provide options for aluminum seating, with a focus on safety, ADA access and long-term lifecycle costs.