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Erie board examines $4.8M Ainsworth renovation, weighs cheaper and phased alternatives
Summary
District staff outlined an itemized ‘a la carte’ plan for the Ainsworth athletic complex with infrastructure costs estimated at about $4.8 million and grandstand restoration alone at roughly $3.4 million; officials discussed Title IX implications, alternative sites and using district-owned property to reduce transportation burdens.
Mr. Brockman presented an itemized set of renovation options for Ainsworth, telling the board the infrastructure construction estimate is “about $4.8 million,” with the restoration and renovation of the grandstand alone accounting for roughly $3.4 million. He said demolishing the existing grandstand and installing new bleachers would cost about $1.0 million, creating a $2.4–$2.5 million difference depending on approach.
The estimates were grouped into buckets so the board could consider smaller, nondependent projects: fencing and ADA upgrades, restroom and locker-room renovations, electrical upgrades and a new scoreboard, new field lighting, and options for turfing. Full-field turf was priced at about $2.0 million, while regrading and turfing only the infield was about $650,000. Tennis-court replacement figures from HHS TR were cited at about $200,000 per court with lighting and $175,000 per court without lighting; replacing all five courts with lights would be roughly $1.0 million.
Officials flagged Title IX as a constraint. Mr. Brockman said an Ainsworth upgrade could trigger comparable work at the Harding softball field, noting the district must ensure any improvements remain compliant with Title IX’s requirement to provide comparable opportunities. For Harding, he said the infrastructure need appears minimal (primarily fence replacement), there are currently no lights, and a full-turf option was estimated around $1.1 million versus roughly $436,000 to turf only the infield.
Board members discussed alternatives to costly restoration, including painting practice courts and installing nets on existing asphalt at Erie High for roughly $100,000 (Mr. Brockman described that figure as an uncertain, conservative estimate), examining the city-owned Frontier courts for shared use, and evaluating other district-owned parcels — such as Bakersfield or the Tops-area lot — as possible sites that would avoid extensive renovation at Ainsworth. Director Graff urged the administration to investigate whether Ainsworth could qualify for historic-review resources; counsel and staff said they would follow up.
Mr. Brockman warned that larger Ainsworth projects would take time: he estimated three to four months of design work, potential NPDES permitting if drainage is impacted, city stormwater approvals, and a likely bid and permitting timeline that would push construction beyond the next season. For more modest tennis-court work, he said the turnaround could be quicker because asphalt rebuilds generally avoid the same permitting requirements.
The board asked staff to pursue follow-ups (vendor quotes, Title IX research, and a historic-review contact) and to present refined costs and schedule options to aid decisions about whether to pursue restoration, demolition-and-replace, or a mix of smaller projects. A resolution supporting an Ainsworth Community Day on Aug. 21 was also noted as on the Monday agenda, and would not affect the capital-budget decision.
Board action planned: staff were asked to return with clarified cost/schedule options, Title IX guidance, and potential funding paths (capital fund transfer or general-fund budgetary reserve) so the board can weigh facility choices against other district priorities.
