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Bids from Sprinturf to replace and repair the playing surface at Roosevelt Field were approved 7-1 Monday at the Altoona Area School Board's regular meeting, with member John Romanowicz absent.
The approved contract shows the board will pay $566,140 out of its capital reserve fund to replace the turf carpet as well as the stone and shock pad underneath it.
Sprinturf was the cheapest of the three options the board considered, with Force Turf Solutions requesting $710,310.78 for the project and Keystone Sports Construction asking for $783,659.
Board Vice President Kelly Irwin-Adams was the sole member who voted against awarding Sprinturf the bids because the line item also recommended hiring a construction administrator to oversee the project, which is expected to begin in April and be completed by May 15.
"I'm not in favor of the administrative costs of up to $12,000 to have somebody oversee it when I feel we have people in-house that can do that," Irwin-Adams said.
Board member David Francis said, for the amount the district is going to pay for the project, it's a worthwhile investment to have someone there full time who can oversee that the project is done right.
"I hate to say it, but some people like to cut corners and not put down the exact filler or whatever, so it's good to have somebody on site," Francis said. "We want this done right."
"We're confident that we could get this type of service for less than $12,000," Superintendent Brad Hatch said during the meeting.
Hatch said turfs usually last about 10 to 12 years, and the current turf at Roosevelt Field was installed in 2008.
"We've actually got a couple of additional years out of that turf," he said. "When we had it evaluated in the fall, it was recommended that we had it replaced before we utilized it again."
Hatch said the board is "very comfortable" with the product Sprinturf can provide.
"We've had nothing but positive affirmation from those people that we've checked with. So we are more than comfortable with the recommendation of Sprinturf," he said.
Also during Monday's meeting, the board approved change orders for the second phase of a Mansion Park bleacher project and replenished its capital reserve fund by transferring $3,000,000 from the general fund. The amount will be used to fund future capital improvement needs, Hatch said.
Mirror Staff Writer Matt Churella is at 814-946-7520.