Union City stadium reconstruction won't be ready for football season

UNION CITY — The Union City Chargers football team will play its five home games at Alumni Stadium field but where fans will sit remains a question.

Representatives of Performance Services Inc. of Kalamazoo said reconstruction of the hillside stands wouldn't be completed until late October at the earliest.

Superintendent Chris Katz said during a special Monday night school board meeting, to start fresh would delay the project another year. The board voted 7-0 to continue working with PSI.

The original construction estimate was $1.5 million. The 2022 PSI construction cost projection increased to $2.2 million and now is estimated at$2.4 million.

Katz warned the cost “will go up more in a year if there is a fresh bid.”

The superintendent promised, “We will do the best we can. We will make this as positive as we can.”

Board member Darin Labar said, “This is not the dream.”

In 2021 school district voters approved a 3-mill, 10-year sinking fund millage to fund school improvements, including reconstruction of the home stands.

In a special January 2022 meeting, the board hired PSI as construction manager. The board hired Benton Harbor architectural firm, Wightman and Associates, to design the work.

Work was to begin in the spring of 2022 but was delayed when the board received no bids to do the work in the tight construction market. With the 2022 cost estimate from PSI at $2.2 million, higher bleacher prices increased costs another $200,000 this year.

Prior story No bids: Union City Alumni Field stadium rebuild delayed

The assigned PSI construction manager told the board in 2022, work could be started May 1 and completed by the Aug. 24 first home football game with Centreville.

PSI Michigan-Indiana Vice President Mark Titus and Production Manager Chris Bauer said the best estimate, if the state approves the plans as required, would allow the use of the new bleachers the first week in November, after the Oct. 13 homecoming game with Whiteford.

Titus continually apologized for the previous construction manager’s misinformation and lack of progress. 

The work could never be completed in three and a half months between spring and August, as promised, because of the requirements for excavation and concrete work, Bauer explained.

The previous manager needed to provide the drawings for the architect to complete plans to apply for required state permits.

Titus said the drawings still need to be completed.

“We kind of inherited this mess," he said.

Titus said the manager “did not follow our process.” The new one assigned could not attend the special board meeting.

The board did move forward, instructing its law firm to complete contracts with alumni Ryan Nagle of Nagle Excavation. He did not bid on other summer projects to work on the stadium. 

PSI and the board discussed beginning that work without state permits. The consensus was not to do anything without proper approval.

Once final drawings are complete, permitting will take three to six weeks. 

Community volunteers built the current stands decades ago on the side of the hill overlooking the St. Joseph River. The bank since eroded, making them dangerous to use.

New concrete stands will be built topped with aluminum seating. The school will install American Disabilities Act-compliant restrooms in the stadium.

Titus said PSI cut its costs as much as it could and would break even for its work.

That drew the ire of board member David Mathis.

“What I’m looking for is some sort of concessions, realizing that you may lose money on this project. You deserve to lose money on this project," Mathis said.

The former teacher said, “We’ve got an entire community, sports community, school community that is really upset about this.”

Titus promised the company would do something to compensate the school system as work progressed.  There was no clear answer on how the compensation will occur.

Board Chair Amber Herman said PSI came highly recommended.

“I am seeing and hearing things very skeptically," she said.

Titus told her, “And you have a right to feel that way. It’s been in business for 25 years. This is not the way we operate.” PSI did $500 million in work last year.

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Katz will explore renting home fan bleachers for the track, portable ADA-compliant bathrooms, and concession locations along the field for Charger fans for this season's home games.

The superintendent will report back at the May 15 regular meeting.

---Contact Don Reid: dReid@Gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter: @DReidTDR

This article originally appeared on Coldwater Daily Reporter: Union City stadium reconstruction won't be ready for football season