Construction will start this spring at Chesterton High School on the new soccer stadium and complementary facilities after the Duneland School Board Monday awarded $4,862,283 in contracts.
The new complex will include widening the present soccer field and erecting stands to accommodate 1,000 spectators. Chesterton High School has had to play their matches at the football stadium because the soccer field was too narrow.
There will also be lights, a scoreboard, restrooms and a new locker room for the soccer teams, which will also be used by the lacrosse and tennis teams.
In addition, a new practice field will also be developed next to the soccer stadium. For years the boys teams have had to practice at Dogwood Park because there wasn’t enough room for the boys and girls soccer teams at the high school.
Gough, Inc. received the largest of the contracts at $2.7 million for the sitework and installation of artificial turf.
The Pangere Corp. will be paid $1,042,983 for the general trades contract. ACMS Group was awarded $784,900 for electrical and technology work while Mechanical Concepts will install the plumbing and HVAC for $334,400.
Duneland Schools Superintendent Chip Pettit said he was “very happy” with how the process turned out.
Pettit said the key was competitive bidding involving a number of quality contractors for all parts of the project.
If construction proceeds well, the hope is that the new facilities will be ready by Aug. 1 before soccer season begins, Pettit said.
The Duneland School Corporation is paying for the new soccer stadium and adjoining improvements with a $14.39 million general obligation bond, which will also fund other capital improvement projects.
In other business, School Board President Brandon Kroft said that school board members and the administration are actively following the current Indiana legislative session, which includes the proposed Senate Bill 1 and House Bill 1001. The bills deal with the state budget and property tax reforms.
Kroft said the concern of many is that there will be a major impact on the school funding for all, including Duneland.
“There are important hearings on both bills this week and we are hopeful the language of these bills will continue to evolve such that Duneland will not see the major loss of funding that would occur had these bills become law in their original form,” Kroft said,
Kroft said he’s hoping for more clarity by the time of the April meeting.
The school board also:
*Approved a new class “Computing Foundations for a Digital Age,” which will be a required class for freshman students starting in 2025-26. The course is part of the state of Indiana’s new diploma requirements.
*Approved a new work-based learning course for at-risk 11th and 12th graders enrolled in the Duneland Rise Academy. The course and program will be carried out in conjunction with the Indiana Department of Workforce Development. The program also offers mentorship for those who intend to enter the workplace after high school. The mentorship can continue a year after high school.
*Re-appointed Kathryn Cochran to a four-year term on the Westchester Public Library Board of Trustees. The school board has three appointments for the seven-member Library Board of Trustees.
Jim Woods is a freelance reporter for the Post-Tribune.
