Fall sports to be inside stadium
Temporary stands, snack bar sheds to be installed
BOYERTOWN » The Boyertown Area School Board voted unanimously to conduct the fall sports season in the high school’s Memorial Stadium using temporary stands and temporary sheds for snack bars.
It was the option most favored by parents of student athletes, who told board members they preferred it to the other options — renting outside facilities or holding games “at a neutral location,” said school board member Rodney Boyer.
“This is an extraordinary situation and we have to adapt and improvise,” he said.
The cost of the decision to taxpayers is $112,233.
The district will buy the sheds and some mobile bleachers to be given other uses once the stadium is repaired.
Board member Brandon Foose said the parents who run snack bars said the best option is to use stadium because it generates the most money for music, and booster clubs.
“Clearly, this is the best option,” said board member Steve Elsier.
As part of this option, some bleachers will be rented and set up on the track on the home side.
Facilities Director William Gasper said the company that installed the track agreed the district’s plan for a tarp, then plywood, then 2 X 6 board to distribute the weight of the temporary bleachers and the people sitting on them, should be enough to protect the track from damage.
The move became necessary in the wake of the revelation in January of structural problems in the 33-year-old stadium.
A final plan for repairs has yet to be finalized and it became increasingly clear that whatever solution is ultimately chosen, it is unlikely to be complete by the start of the fall sports season.
Previously, the board had already made the decision to move the high school graduation from the stadium to Santander Area.
As part of its effort to involve the public in the decision, the school board’s facilities committee will conduct a special meeting on Monday, May 14 at 6:30 p.m. in the high school cafeteria devoted entirely to one subject — the stadium.
It is hoped by then that the final recommendation from the engineering firm hired to study the problem will be available for discussion.
Whether it is or not, the public is encouraged to attend as the format will include a break-out session that allows the public to speak directly to board members on a less formal face-to-face basis, said Interim Superintendent David Krem.
Elyse Watts, whose son will now be able to pay his senior football season in the stadium, thanked the board for the decision.
She also noted that the timeline as it stands now looks like construction for the repairs could come awfully close to affecting the fall 2019 season and urged the board to move forward with all deliberate speed and efficiency.
This article first appeared as a post in The Digital Notebook blog.
“This is an extraordinary situation and we have to adapt and improvise.” — Rodney Boyer, Boyertown school board member