Schools

Bleachers Replacement Bid Awarded

Project Could Begin This Week, Continue Through September

Replacement of the old bleachers at Ledyard High School’s Mignault Field could begin as early as this week after the Board of Education voted Wednesday to award a contract for new bleachers to Dant Clayton Corp. of Louisville, KY. 

Dant Clayton’s bid of $363,837 was the middle of three bids received by the district, but it was the only bid to meet all of the specifications, said John Phetteplace of the Facilities Committee.

“Their bid was slightly higher than the very low bid, but it met all the specs,” he said. Specifically, Dant Clayton’s proposal included the welded decks that were requested, versus interlocking decks.

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The other bids received were from Southern Bleachers of Graham, TX, ($359,610) and E&D Bleachers of North Collins, NY ($375,440).

All of the bids exceeded the $325,000 in bonding approved by voters this year for the project. Business Manager Bill Merrill said the balance would come out of the district’s capital non-recurring account.

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Phetteplace said dismantling the old bleachers could begin this week, but because the new bleachers must be manufactured, the project is expected to continue through September. 

There is one home football game scheduled in September, and school board members discussed the possibility of playing that game at the U.S. Coast Guard Academy in New London. Last fall New London High School hosted competition at the academy while its home field was being resurfaced.

An engineering consultant hired to inspect the bleachers told the district last year that they were at the end of their useful life. The 2011 high school graduation was expected to be the last big event on the decades-old bleachers, but inclement weather forced the commencement to be held inside.

Board member Julia Cronin suggested that wood from the old bleachers might be used by the Agri-Science Department or otherwise recycled in some way. There was even mention of a possible fund-raiser.


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