VERO BEACH — While demolition continues on the concrete seating at the Citrus Bowl, the School Board has approved a contract for new, red aluminum bleachers in the grandstands.
The work is scheduled to be complete in time for graduation in June.
The Board unanimously approved the $890,000 contract with Dant Clayton Corporation, with the understanding that the company is motivated to get the work done by March 31.
Facilities Director Scott Sanders told the Board that Dant Clayton Corp. its work in the northern states and must be able to get up north by April 1 for the start of the building season there.
Along with the new bleachers, which will replace the crumbling concrete stands that are original with the stadium, the project will include a new press box, and a refurbished tunnel for spectators to pass through.
The replacement bleachers is the first phase of a larger refurbishment project of the Citrus Bowl. A second phase is undergoing planning with a target start date of June 2016. That project will be split into two parts – one of which will require the track currently around the Citrus Bowl football field to be relocated to a field near the Freshman Learning Center.
The other part of the project, scheduled to start in December 2016, will include new locker rooms, bathrooms, and visitors bleachers.
School Board member expressed concerns about the necessity to relocate the track and what impact that would have to the budget given the need for lighting and seating and other ancillary amenities.
Staff told the Board that as the planning process continues, more information and opportunity for discussion would be had.
