Bid OK’d for stadium improvements

Thursday’s MVI story reported the vote results inaccurately.

Ringgold school board unanimously approved a $2.6 million bid for proposed improvements to Joe Montana Stadium at Wednesday’s meeting.

The bid was intended for part of the district’s planned renovations to the high school stadium. The project did not receive any additional bids. HHSDR Architects and Engineers, authorized by the board in October, solicited bids for the improvement project, which proposes upgrades to the bleachers and press box and the addition of a walkway from the stadium to the lower portion of the parking lot.

The story in Thursday’s Mon Valley Independent erroneously reported that the school board rejected the bid. The board actually voted 8-1 to reject a contract extension with Unlocking Excellence LLC for professional development services.

The story also erroneously reported that board President Maureen Ott said she was not willing to vote in favor of awarding the stadium bid.

Ott’s comment was directed at the contract extension, not the stadium project.

“I asked for some evidence this work that’s being done would benefit the students, and I was never provided that information,” Ott said.

Superintendent Randall Skrinjorich informed Ott that the contract extension was available to her on BoardDocs.

Ott told Skrinjorich that she understands the original contract and reiterated that she wasn’t prepared to vote in favor of the bid.

“I asked for something and never received a response,” Ott said.

Before voting on the contract extension, Ott asked if anybody else had anything to say about the matter, but nobody spoke up.

HHSDR plans to have the stadium improvements complete by the Rams’ first home football game.