The aging bleachers at Stouffer Field will finally be replaced.
The Ripon Unified school board recently approved $3.1 million in one-time money to help finance this project which will be conducted in two stages.
That was music to the ears for Stephanie Hobbs of the Ripon Community Athletic Foundation. Not too long ago, she and her husband Vince Hobbs noted that the state of the bleachers as “dilapidated” and “condemnable.”
The restrooms at the sports venue are also in dire need of replacing, Stephanie Hobbs said.
“Our original vision when we took the stadium (revitalization) project on was to fix up the track – but it all blew up from there,” she added.
Before the all-weather track was a reality, RCAF had to redo the infrastructure, which meant realigning and later resodding the football / soccer field. Donations coupled with volunteer manpower helped most of the changes possible.
“The school district was also very supportive,” said Hobbs, who is especially thankful for Superintendent Siegrid “Ziggy” Robeson for the soon-to-be new stadium bleachers.
Phase I of the project – replacing the home side bleachers – was approved by the board. “This must be approved (by the Division of State Architects) due to the scope of the project,” Robeson said.
Included was hiring the services of WLC Architects, Inc. The Folsom firm will take the lead in handling the project design, obtaining DSA approval, conducting the competitive bidding for construction / seats, and providing the necessary closeout documents, etc.
Robeson noted that while the project will be conducted in two phases. While Phase II – the visitor-side bleachers – will be completed once funding is available, she said that DSA-approval will be sought for the project in its entirety.
“That way we’re not going back to DSA to begin Phase II,” she said.
The timeline on the project will also depend on the DSA approval.
RCAF, meanwhile, is gearing up for its big fundraiser in Rina’s Run scheduled for Saturday, May 7, with a half marathon (7 a.m.) and 5K / 10K run (7:20). Registration and information is available by logging on at www.rinasrun.com.
Proceeds from this ninth annual event will go towards the restrooms and other peripheral parts of the stadium project, according to Hobbs.