Bidding is next in a plan to make major improvements to school athletic facilities in Ely.
School board members voted unanimously, at a special meeting Monday night, to put the project out for bids.
Thanks to legislative action, the school has $5.25 million to spend to improve its athletic facilities and a district committee, with the help of engineering firm Short, Elliot and Hendrickson, has come up with an assortment of projects at the campus football, baseball and softball fields, ice arena and gymnasium.
Current cost estimates by SEH put the work at $5.79 million, including a 10 percent contingency and $766,000 in “soft costs,” and school officials are hopeful that bids come in under those estimates..
If not, the district is expected to trim some of the current components in order to make budget.
“We could be under bid and it would be great, or we might have some tough decisions to make,” said superintendent Anne Oelke.
The board met with SEH’s Jason Chopp during a study session held prior to the meeting, reviewing the latest revisions and the plans for renovations.
Sjoberg acknowledged the cost issue and said “there’s still a lot more to it - this is to keep the bid timeline going.”
That timeline calls for bid opening on Feb. 24 and a recommendation to award March 9, with construction to begin as soon as April.
Substantial completion is slated for October, with some components calling for an earlier date.
School officials are hoping the football field is ready in time for home games for the 2026 season, while the baseball field will be used until mid-July, then shut down for the rest of the summer.
Chopp noted that the requirements will include deadlines for contractors and penalties if those aren’t met.
“The school has a lot on its plate by shutting down its facilities,” said Chopp.
The current list, which evolved from more than a year of discussion including input from stakeholders and review by the district’s facilities committee, includes:
• Ice Arena - Exterior building improvements to maintain the integrity of the facility as well as HVAC improvements and structural repairs. Estimated cost: $1,669,000;
• Football Field - Field improvements to include the grass surface as well as upgrades for track team practice, grandstand improvements including new seating and press box and accessibility upgrades. Estimated cost: $1,045,000;
• Baseball Field - Field improvements including leveling and new sod on the playing surface, grandstand improvements and replacing the first base bleacher area with a paved pavilion. Estimated cost: $753,000. Also included was a separate item for a standalone concession/ restroom building that could be used for both softball and baseball, with an estimated cost of $958,000;
• Softball Field - Site and field improvements to include new sod, new fencing and a new scoreboard as well as bleacher replacement. Estimated cost: $490,000;
• Memorial Gymnasium - Plaster repair and various improvements. Estimated cost $109,000.
Numerous other projects, including more substantive repairs to the ice arena, were put on a “future wish list.”
The effort stems from action in the Minnesota Legislature in 2024, which allocated $250,000 to be spent at Veterans Memorial Field - the baseball stadium on the school campus - as well as another $5 million to be for overall athletic facility needs.
Since then, district officials have met with local stakeholders, held their own conversations at the facility committee level and engaged representatives of SEH.
In late-2024, SEH conducted an athletic facilities needs assessment that identified over $15 million in potential or recommended improvements to Ely school athletic facilities.
But at least for now, the district only has $5.25 million in available funds to address those proposals.
