No love is being shown to the deteriorated concrete bleachers at Bobby Ray football field. Slated for removal in the next year or so, in its place will be metal bleachers like those on the field at the high school.
“What we want to do is demolish the bleachers because they are a safety risk,” said Director of Schools Bobby Cox to members of the county’s Education Committee on Monday. “Then, put a pad down and get some ADA-compliant bleachers like at the baseball field at the high school that are fenced and floored. They would, maybe, seat 200 people. That way, it would be a whole lot safer.”
Liability issues were raised due to the poor condition of the bleachers at Bobby Ray during a recent school board meeting. At that time, the plan was to demolish the bleachers at an estimated cost of $60,000 and then decide how to go about replacing them.
With safety in mind, the concrete bleachers have been blocked off in an attempt to keep people from using them until they can be demolished. Cox says the work won’t be complete until next year and Warren County Youth Football League will be using Nunley Stadium until that time.
“The football league is going to use Nunley Stadium this year, until we can get that done. Next year they will move back over. They can still practice on the field but we have to keep people off the bleachers.”
The field, while still owned by the school system, is mainly used by the Football League for its home games. While the field can still be used, the absence of bleachers for seating prompted the move to Nunley Stadium.