Bid to Transform GRHS Athletic Facilities Looks Promising, Officials Say

Bids to transform the appear promising, according to school board president Rona McNabola.

McNabola, in a telephone conversation Wednesday, said ten bid packets were picked up and six returned for work related to repairing the that plague the high school's football field, as well as various other facility improvements.

The low bid received Tuesday morning shouldn't hurt negatively impact the budget, she said, assuming all goes well. 

"It certainly seems promising that not only would we be able to do the base for the drainage, etc. but to include all the alternates," McNabola said.

The district had about to work on the drainage issues, which also included replacing the track and regrading the football field; and another $2 million in the capital budget was available to complete the alternate projects, which were included on a priority basis.

The lowest bid, from Turco Golf. Inc., totaled $3,532,503 for the base proposal and the alternates, according to The Glen Rock Gazette, which first reported the bid figures. The next lowest bids, the paper reported, came in at $3,888,857 and $4,052,256.

Alternate improvements include the turfing of various fields, new bleachers, a concession stand, a new scoreboard, a drainage system, and a makeover to the baseball field.

"All the bids are being examined by the attorney to make sure they've included all the stuff they're supposed to include," McNabola said. "The low bid is well below what we had budgeted for the entire project."

The board is expected to award a bid when it next meets on April 16. The weather and nature of the construction industry remain major variables but McNabola was optimistic the project could start by May. 

"It's very exciting to see these upgrades," she said. "Finally we'll have a level playing field."