Century High School Senior, Addi Hagerott, reaped unexpected consequences for depending on rusty locks and old fences.
In early November, during one of the Century playoff football games, Hagerrott fell through the stands of the Community Bowl due to a weak fence that failed to withstand her and a friend. While standing in their respective student section, the fence broke, and both Hagerott and her friend fell to the ground below.
“I broke my right toe from the impact of the 6-foot drop from the stands to the hard concrete floor,” Hagerott said. “I am disappointed that such a widely known facility took so little precaution – the incident very well could have been prevented.”
This May, the Bowl will undergo renovations after the state track meet is wrapped up on the 25th. The upgrades will potentially cost up to two million dollars, including updated locker rooms, an improved nine-lane track, upgraded concessions and ADA-compliant seating. The upgrades are projected to be ready before this year’s fall sports begin.
“The Turf will get replaced, and then we also have some erosion issues on the bleachers, mostly on the north side, some on the south side. We’ll be taking out the bleachers and shoring up the soil that’s underneath the bleachers,” Facility Manager Ross Horner continues, “And a bunch of other little projects, like renovating locker rooms and things, but those are much smaller and kind of outside the scope.”
Although the main focus on the bowl will be to remove the eroded soil, the bleachers that Haggerott fell through will be updated and reliable for future fans.
While completely closed for the summer, the bowl will be open except for a fireworks show on July 4th. With so many projects going on at once, facility manager Ross Horner hopes the weather won’t delay any of the construction.
“Because of how extensive all the work is, we won’t be able to allow the public into the bowl. There are going to be simultaneous projects going on at the same time,” Horner said. “So, you know, weather is weather. The weather is the unknown, but it should be completed by the middle of August.”
According to the Bismarck Public School’s Business and Operations Manager Darrin Sherr, the turf and track replacement and the bleacher fixes will cost an estimated $2.2 million. The funding for the upgrades is granted to the Bowl Authority but is supplied by its various sponsors. The payments will eventually be paid out by BPS through a 10-year bond.
“So, what we did is called the certificate of indebtedness. So we went out for a 10-year bond, did all the legal stuff, and we put it on the open market, got really good rates, and we borrowed $2.2 million,” Sherr said.
Horner adds, “It gets all bonded out, which can be complicated, but he’s (Darren Shear) done a very good job at it.”
With new improvements right around the corner, Horner highlights how the place has potential for even more activities further down the road. But for now, the renovations will ensure safety and functionality for the public.
“The community bowl is not a public park, but it is treated like one. And that’s probably one of the best things about it,” Horner said. “It’s incredible to see these high school kids be so good at sports, to be so good at football, to be so good at throwing the discus, to be so good at track. And I think that’s what’s kind of special about the community bowl, is that this is not a normal situation, to be able to have these kids be able to have a first class facility that they can just access any day.”