Construction Of New Athletic Complex Under Way

Footings have been poured and concrete blocks are going up for the locker room and concessions building at the new $6.5 million Glenwood Athletic Complex.

Work on what has been dubbed the complex’s “Gateway Building” is the first construction undertaken on the project after more than a month of site prep and dirt work. Genesis Contracting, who the district secured in November as the primary contractor on the athletic complex, has taken full advantage of unusually warm and dry January weather.

In addition to brick-and-mortar work being undertaken at the complex, Genesis is in the process of submitting requests for information, lining up schematic drawings and getting specific materials and parts approved and ordered for the project, according to Glenwood Community School District Superintendent Devin Embray.

“There’s lead times on a lot of those things so there’s a lot of scheduling going on right now,” Embray said. “But the work is on-going and the weather’s been great. So that’s good.”

When completed, the complex will include a running track, new home bleachers, expanded visitor bleachers, a new press box, locker rooms, rest rooms, entry into the complex and concession stand in addition to a pick up and drop off driveway and possibly a new artificial playing surface.

Mark Hughes Construction wrapped Phase 1 work in November with demolition of the former site and preliminary dirt work. More than 35,000 cubic yards of dirt was hauled on to the north end of the site.

Genesis began Phase 2 work on the project in early December. Site preparation, including addressing grading and soil compaction issues, were first on Genesis’ priorities list before work on the Gateway Building began. 

Due to the spongy soil on the site, according to Embray, the building required extra dirt work attention in the form of a sub-base geogrid. That process, with its fiberglass grid topped by a foot of rock and then several feet of dirt, is used to improve soil compaction under new constructions. The 6,200 square football building will house the locker rooms and concession stand as well as serve as the main entrance to the complex.

The same geogrid process could be required for several other areas on the site along the north and east sides of the complex, depending on further soil testing.

Embray anticipates the walls of the Gateway Building will be completed later this month. If the weather turns, contractors will tent the building and heat it to continue working.

“The Gateway Building is their main focus,” Embray said. “There may not be a lot of other things going on outside of the building, until the building gets far enough along, before they start ripping into the other areas.”

Footings for the grandstand and the attached elevator shaft are on the docket to be poured later this month as well, Embray added.

Contractors will next turn their attention to bringing in more dirt on the southern end of the complex to build up that area for the turnaround and grandstand area.

“I’d say we’re on schedule,” he said. “As long as the submittal process runs smoothly and we can get a quick turnaround with the architects and the engineers on information the contractor needs to get good pricing, and the approval doesn’t take too long, I think we’re going to stay on target, which we are right now.”

Embray and Genesis Contracting representatives continue to meet and look at plans to determine value engineering options to reduce costs. Embray said he’d like to see $100,000 in cuts come out of those discussions.

In one of those cost-cutting changes, the track and field long jump pit, originally intended to be within the track area, will move back outside the track not far from it’s former location on the east side of the complex.
“We’re still trying to reduce costs wherever we can,” Embray said. “We’re looking at everything we can reduce. It’ll be throughout the entire project we do that.”

The Youth Action Committee (YAC) that has worked closely with the district on the project has been raising funds since last summer to pay for field turf at the football field. According to Embray, the group is within $18,000 of its $500,000 goal.

The district is currently vetting bids from Midwest Track and Turf and Sprinturf for the field turf. They hope to have the turf installation under contract later this month.

“That’s assuming that we get that last $18,000,” he said. “If we don’t get that, the board will probably look at a deduction and go with (a) grass (field).”

Funding for the Glenwood Athletic Complex is coming out of the district’s voter approved 10-year, Physical Plant and Equipment Levy (PPEL) and the Secure an Advanced Vision for Education (SAVE) monies it receives through the one-cent sales tax levy.

The project is scheduled for “substantial completion” by mid-September.