LAKEPORT ? Splintered, warped wood will no longer plague people sitting on bleachers at Clear Lake High School when the Lakeport Rotary finishes construction of the new stadium seating.
The club had all-weather aluminum bleachers delivered to the school Monday. Club president Nanette Dutcher hopes to have the project finished by the end of the month so the stadium will be ready for the first home game.
Volunteers from the Rotary and community members including the football team will start the process of pulling up the wooden planks and replacing them with metal, Dutcher said.
The school had to spend money every year replacing rickety wooden steps, flooring and seats, she said.
“They”re just not safe anymore,” Dutcher said.
The project will cost about $50,000 to $60,000, she said. Lakeport Enhanced Education Foundation, Clear Lake High School Boosters Club and the Priest Family Fund helped raise the money to buy the metal bleachers.
Dutcher expects the project to take about 500 hours of labor but club members are unsure how difficult it will be to remove boards that have been there for years, she said. The support structure is sound and will help hold 880 people along with the portable bleachers.
Dave Meek, one of three Rotary Club project managers, said he has never built bleachers before, but he will learn.
Dutcher picked the project because she wanted to help the community to enjoy events such as graduation and Relay For Life and improve morale of students, she said.
“I think they want something to be proud of,” Dutcher said.
Her daughter, Briana Dutcher, is the vice president of Interact, the Clear Lake High School Rotary Club and a junior.
Briana plays soccer and track and remembers the bleachers weren”t sturdy when the team ran up and down on them, she said.
“In the old stadium when track was on you could feel it shaking,” Briana said.
She”s glad visiting teams won”t have as easy an opportunity to make fun of her school, she said.
“I”m pretty excited about the stadium,” Briana said.
Contact Katy Sweeny at ksweeny@record-bee.com or call her directly at 263-5636, ext. 37.
