Athletic facilities to be improved

MOSES LAKE - Moses Lake School District accepted a low bid Thursday for improvements to Moses Lake High School's sports facilities.

D.C.M. Construction bid roughly $227,000 for the improvements. In addition to accepting the bid, the district accepted a second bid of $14,000 from the company for paving work. Funding comes from the sale of voter-approved bonds.

Special Assistant to the Superintendent P.J. De Benedetti said the football storage area will become a training room, the former training room will become a referee and coach's room, and a storage room will be expanded to include a second level.

The football storage room is approximately 750 square feet in size, while the current training room being about 325 square feet, said last year's sports medicine teacher and athletic trainer Gary Clinton.

"That training program has just grown so much," said Assistant Superintendent of Business and Operations Monte Redal. "We need more room."

Paving will replace pea gravel behind a practice gym next to the track.

"It's kind of small, gets tracked into the gym, damages the floors," Redal said.

Paving is also going to replace grass around the storage room facility.

Board member Randy Bruce asked at the meeting whether athletes can be offered a way to clean their shoes before entering the gym from the outside. Redal said they probably can.

"They actually shouldn't come in with their cleats on," he added.

Vicki Groff wondered why a significant difference in cost existed between the projects' two bids. D.C.M. Construction bid about $241,000 for the two projects, while Halme Builders bid $294,500.

Monte said Halme Builders is from out-of-town, which may have been a contributing factor to their bid. In addition, the company conducted a walk through of the building.