By Gary Lloyd
The Trussville City Board of Education on Monday could award the bid for the new high school football stadium to be located behind the Trussville Civic Center.
The meeting will be at the school system’s central office at 8 a.m.
The Trussville City Council and board of education last month discussed how to fund the new high school football stadium, which will be called Hewitt-Trussville Stadium and Husky Field.
Mayor Gene Melton said the stadium project — which includes a new stadium, track and Husky Parkway completion — is on track. Phase 3 of an archaeological study began last month and was projected then to last between 45 and 60 days.
An estimated completion date for the new stadium could be Aug. 20, 2014, which is about nine days before the 2014 football season begins. Should the stadium’s completion affect a home game, the school system could ask the Alabama High School Athletic Association for an exemption to play a scheduled home game on the road.
Trussville-based Blalock Building Company last month was revealed as the low bidder for the stadium project, with an adjusted base bid — after a $240,000 deduct — of $13,353,900. After six alternate bids for aspects of the project — precast concrete visitor seating, multipurpose field lighting package and overflow parking, kitchen equipment upgrade for the visitor concession, precast concrete for a home side and visitor side expansion and soccer concessions/restroom building — Blalock’s bid totaled $14,626,550.
Board President Bill Roberts recommended all the alternates be included, as well as $250,000 for bleachers at Phil English Field, chair-back Husky seating at Hewitt-Trussville Stadium and loose track and field items.
Bids were also opened last month for the construction of a bridge over the Cahaba River to link Hewitt-Trussville High School to the area where Hewitt-Trussville Stadium will be. Birmingham-based Brasfield & Gorrie was revealed as the low bidder for the project with a base bid of $3,281,445.13.
Melton said he expects Husky Parkway and the bridge to be completed before the stadium is complete. Melton said the main objective now is adding the bridge cost to the stadium project cost — between $14.6 million and $14.87 million, depending on alternates — in order to determine how much to possibly do a bond issue for. He said that funding could be determined in the next 45 days.
Contact Gary Lloyd at news@trussvilletribune.com and follow him on Twitter @GaryALloyd.