Springdale Har-Ber Stadium Nears Completion

SPRINGDALE -- The first varsity football game at Har-Ber High School's new stadium is Sept. 19, but finishing touches will be going into the project even after the game.

Construction started in mid-February, said Patrick Tenney, representative for Baldwin & Shell, the construction management company for Springdale School District.

By The Numbers

Springdale Enrollment

Springdale has hit a high in enrollment, administrators told School Board members Tuesday.

• 980: Prekindergarten students

• 21,183: Kindergarten through 12th grade

Source: Staff Report

"We've been on our two-minute offense for five months," Tenney said.

The project ran on a very compressed time line, said Gary Compton, Springdale assistant superintendent for support services.

Sidewalk is going down at about 3,000 square feet a day with 1,100 squarefeet left to go, Tenney told the board Tuesday. Workers have started to install posts for chain link fencing, but not the ornamental fence. They've been going seven days a week to keep the project on schedule, he said. Inspectors come Friday for the building's certificate of occupancy.

People attending the game might see a few unfinished touches, Tenney said. The sod and seeded grass will probably be roped off. Finishing checklists will still be in progress.

The scoreboard was delayed in shipping, said Jack See, district architect. It's scheduled to be installed Thursday, if it arrives. Sound systems must be mounted on the board, but the infrastructure is there.

"It will go quickly," See said.

The team has been practicing at the stadium, Compton said. The first game will be played by the junior varsity Monday.

Once the stadium is complete, it'll be time to tackle Springdale High School's Jarrell Williams Bulldog stadium.

Demolition may slow renovation at that stadium, See said. Welded parts of the stadium can't be disassembled but must be torn apart, he said.

"The pace will probably be a little slower there, especially at the start," See said.

Har-Ber Stadium's project cost about $5.5 million, Compton said. The Bulldog Stadium project hasn't been bid, but he estimates $3 to $3.5 million for project. It will start in late November and be finished by next fall.

"The day that the season ends, we're going to be ready to tear apart Springdale," Compton said.

The board formally approved a $179 million budget for the school year and a $1.85 million project for a media center at Smith Elementary School. The Smith project is next in a series of school improvements, See said. The 7,000-square-foot addition follows the same plan as other media centers.

Administrators opened bids Tuesday for an identical media center at Elmdale Elementary School, but it's combined with a 1,000-square-foot addition for a health center. Two other schools are on the list for media centers, See said.

There'll be three more portable buildings in the district this year. There were nine last school year. Administrators will rent three more, Compton said. Two will be placed at Monitor Elementary School.

The district grew by 653 students, said Jared Cleveland, deputy superintendent for personnel. There are 21,183 students attending kindergarten through 12th grade in the district and another 980 students in prekindergarten classes, Cleveland said.

NW News on 09/10/2014

Upcoming Events