Quintal plan to be taken up by board

Mitchell School District Superintendent Joe Graves will ask the school board Monday to pull the trigger on a $2.5 million plan to replace the aging stadium at Joe Quintal Field.

Graves was hopeful the district would be able to sell naming rights for the new stadium for $1.25 million, but no donor has stepped up to date. Graves said Friday he is not ruling out a donor, but demolition and construction must begin soon if the stadium is to be ready by next fall.

MHS played its last regular-season game of the 2009 season Thursday at Quintal Field.

“The district can’t wait any longer if it is to take advantage of a good construction climate and low bonding rates,” Graves said.

Monday, the board will be asked to approve a Puetz Corporation proposal for architecture and construction management services for the stadium project. If the proposal is approved, Puetz will assemble project bid specifications and will oversee construction on an “at risk” basis, which means Puetz will — for an overall fee of 9.8 percent of project costs — assume liability for timely and correct completion of the project.

The district has a similar agreement with Puetz for construction of Longfellow Elementary School.

If the board approves the plan, demolition bids will go out Dec. 3 and demolition will begin Jan. 5. Construction bids on the Puetz-designed stadium and locker room complex would be let on March 3, with construction to begin April 1 or as soon as the soil is frost-free.

The district has two low-cost lines of credit for the project.

The federal government has authorized the sale of up to $2.5 million in Qualified School Construction Bonds with a 2 percent interest cost to the district, or Build America Bonds with a 3.5 percent interest rate. The latter bonds have proven more attractive to investors, says the district’s bonding agent.

Tags: joe quintal field, news