ENCORE: Contractor Doesn't Finish Ankeny Athletic Fields in Time for Use

Editor's Note: We ran this story earlier this week but we know how hectic the work week can be. Plus, we wanted to make sure our weekend readers had a chance to join the conversation!

A couple setbacks on the athletic field projects taking place at and Southview Middle School caused frustrations to mount among Ankeny school board members Monday night.

Board members learned at their regular meeting the district will have to hire a new company to complete work on two football and soccer practice fields at Southview Middle School in order for the fields to be usable by students this fall.

They also were told a $5 million board-approved plan did not include all the necessary upgrades needed to make both a softball and baseball field at Ankeny High School suitable for competition, meaning additional costs will be added to the plans.

And board members were not happy about it.

“No one came to us to say ‘hey, we have a problem here’, and that’s what bothers me,” said board member Mike Rooney. “Someone arbitrarily overstepped their authority here and that’s what I don’t understand. We’re supposed to be advised of these things.”

New Company to Complete Southview Football, Soccer Practice Fields

The board will now consider hiring Iowa Cubs Sports Turf Management to complete the two fields located north of Southview after Betts & Beer Construction, the company overseeing phase I of all construction, was unable to complete the fields in time for use this fall.

“Our concern is there was no adequate progress made on those two fields with the growth and maturity of grass,” Superintendent Matthew Wendt told Ankeny Patch following the meeting. “Not only that, we found the rocks and debris along with the leveling of the fields to be of significant concern.”

Tom Penney with DLR Group, the architectural firm overseeing Southview construction, said Betts & Beer initially seeded the fields in fall 2010 and again in spring 2011 when the first seeding didn’t take. Wendt said the contractor also attempted a third seeding this spring.

At this point, Wendt said, there is still no grass in some areas of the field, while the “best areas” are at about 20 to 30 percent of where they should be. Debris and rocks are a concern, as well.

“It’s not just a grass issue,” Wendt said. “It’s a project issue.”

The issue now, Wendt told the board, is timing since the district will need these fields this fall.

“If we didn’t need these fields for another year, we could continue to work with our current contractor,” Wendt said. “We’re taking corrective action as a district because we need these fields in August.”

If the board chooses to utilize Iowa Cubs Sports Turf Management to remedy the situation, the company will regrade and resurface the fields before laying sod to complete them. This option could cost the district just over $46,000.

Wendt said there are contingency funds set aside for scenarios like this. Jeff Krausman, the school district's attorney, told board members Monday the sum of those funds is about $18,000.

“Right now, we’re taking the money we have left to pay (Betts & Beers) and we are going to pay a new company to get the fields to where we need them to be,” Wendt said. “It’s still too early to tell if the district is going to lose money on this.”

Board members still weren’t pleased during the meeting. Rooney demanded to know who signed off on the project.

“There’s another $50,000 we’re going to throw out the window,” Rooney said.

Penney told board members when DLR approved the work done by the contractor, the fields appeared to be in acceptable condition.

Additional Upgrades Needed to Make Softball, Baseball Fields Competition-Worthy

At the meeting, board members also learned a $5 million plan they approved in October 2011 did not include all the upgrades it should have to turn practice fields into venues suitable for competition.

Wendt said there are amenities lacking in the plans for the softball and baseball fields located north of the high school. While the board-approved plan called for the construction of restrooms, stands, lights, seating areas and other features, they did not include dugouts comparable to those at the district’s existing fields, batting cages or storage areas.

This came as a surprise to some board members.

“We were told all these things would be included in the plan,” said board president George Tracy. “And the decision was made to not go forward with them? Who made that decision?”

Penney called the incident an “oversight.”

“The fields were originally designed to be practice only,” Penney said. “When we made all the changes to the plans, the dugouts were not included and they should have been.”

But the oversight could tack, at most, an additional $200,000 to the plan, an amount high enough to require bids for the work, Wendt said.

Again, board members were dismayed they were not notified of the situation earlier.

“What’s disturbing here is no one came to this board,” said board member Pat Cahill. “We were told, 'yes, these fields would be at competition level', yet no one came to us to tell us otherwise. We should have been informed.”

The missing features are necessary for the fields to be considered acceptable for competition, Wendt said. He also recommended to the board the fields not be opened until next summer, although originally there was discussion to open them this summer.

This particular issue and the district’s options will first be discussed at a facilities committee meeting before coming back to the board.