ELY—Engineers from SEH presented the school board here with a shopping list of recommended upgrades and repairs to the district’s athletic facilities at its Nov. 12 meeting. The list comes with a “conservative” price tag between $15.5 and $17.2 million, or roughly three times the $5.25 million which the Minnesota Legislature allocated in 2024 for athletic upgrades in the district.
The engineers had evaluated multiple facilities at the school district campus but identified the structural and floor repairs to the Ely Ice Arena as the only “must-do” work for the sake of safety.
Superintendent Anne Oelke said that the district would set up a working group to study which upgrades the district would tackle along with how to finance them.
Athletic assessment
After receiving the news of the Legislature’s allocation of funds for the district, the Ely School Board hired SEH to perform an engineering assessment of its sports facilities over the summer, which the company’s engineers unveiled last week during an hour-long presentation to the board. The firm’s recommendations covered the ice arena, football field, baseball field, softball field, the Memorial High School building gymnasium, the old girls locker room, and the weight room.
SEH broke their suggested repairs and upgrades into high, moderate, and low priorities. The highest priority repairs included the structural repairs to the ice arena, the replacement of the ice arena press box, the replacement of the football field press box and stair structure, an engineered fire-safety separation between the football stands and the vehicle storage facility underneath, the repair of the football field lighting towers, and the lighting in the high school gym.
Ice arena
The engineers rated the 52-year-old building as in “fair to poor condition” overall, but cited the three structural columns on the building’s west side, which are either severed or compromised, as the highest priority for repair. The columns are currently undergoing a temporary fix to stabilize the structure in case of an extreme snow event, to prevent the column from failing until a permanent repair can be put into place. The temporary repair should be completed before the end of November. The firm also recommended the retrofit of the foundation along the entire west side of the building.
Some of the ice arena floor has also settled and engineers are recommending the replacement of the settled floor slabs. SEH is also suggesting replacement of the press box, which was added to the ice arena after it was built. They said an engineered press box constructed to meet current structural code standards would be an option.
The firm also encouraged the replacement of the HVAC systems, a new roof, new siding, new dasher boards and netting, new accessible bleachers, ADA-compliant restrooms, and a new parking lot. SEH put the total price tag for the work at between $5.52 and $5.97 million.
Football field
The stands for the football field were built in 1939 and several portions of the structure need repair, including the stair on the west end and the press box. The foundation and floor are damaged in places, while the bathrooms have exceeded their useful life and are not ADA-compliant. The stand railings do not meet code and the field itself “exhibits slope inconsistencies and the perimeter fence needs replacement or repair. Other than the listed repairs, engineers at the board meeting stated that “the building where people sit is in good condition.”
SEH outlined both renovation and replacement options for the football field with estimated costs between $5.13 and $5.66 million for renovation and repair, an additional $1.26 million for installing a synthetic turf field, and $825,000 to replace the grandstand with modern bleachers.
Some of the options for repairing or replacing the grandstand would affect the pickleball courts. SEH suggested moving the pickleball courts to a new location by the softball field, which might not be doable without the city of Ely’s agreement since the available location is city property. The Little League field and the infield of the softball field are currently on city property.
Ball fields
SEH recommended regrading and new irrigation and drainage systems for both the softball and baseball fields, or the installation of synthetic turf. The firm also recommended new ADA-compliant restrooms and other accessibility improvements, a new batting cage, new utility lines, structure upgrades, and other improvements.
Costs for the baseball field were estimated between $3.52 and $4.19 million with an additional alternative cost of $1.04 million for synthetic turf. Costs for the softball field were estimated between $533,800 and $586,600 with an additional alternative cost of $640,800 for synthetic turf.
Other work
SEH recommended replacing the lighting in the high school gym, a new electrical control panel, new balcony railings, and a light-weight acoustical finish to the ceiling. The firm estimated the costs for that work at between $314,750 and $364,500.
The engineers also recommended a complete renovation of the old girls locker room, with new plumbing, lighting, acoustic ceiling, lockers, and accessible bathroom, shower, and changing stalls. Cost estimates were between $347,900 and $402,500.
SEH also recommended upgrading the lights and acoustic ceiling in the weight room, with estimated costs between $33,600 and $41,300.
Other action
In other business, the school board:
• Approved the request of high school math teacher Tim Omerza for a medical leave of absence from Sept. 30 through March 21, 2025.
• Accepted the resignation of Tim Omerza as Assistant Boys Basketball Coach for the 2024-25 season effective immediately.
• Approved the extracurricular assignment of Emmett Penke to the Gamers Guild, as recommended by Principal Anne Oelke.
• Heard the report from Facilities Director Tim Leeson that the Phase II Completion Project construction was nearing its end. Leeson cataloged the work left to do as “four windows, a dozen blinds, reglazing, painting, and some plaster.”
Leeson also reported that the district’s new school bus was scheduled for delivery on Wednesday, Nov. 13. School board member Tony Colarich inquired about the trade-in value for the old school bus. Leeson said it was $1,500.
• Approved moving the study session on Nov. 25 from 6 p.m. to 5:30 p.m.
• Approved moving the Dec. 23 study session to Dec. 16 at 6 p.m.
• Approved the agreement between ISD 696 and the city of Babbitt for the use of the city’s ice arena from Oct. 21 until Nov. 30. The school district will pay $80/hour to use the arena. The Ely Ice Arena is currently unavailable for hockey practice through the end of November because it is undergoing structural repairs.
• Approved donations from the Ely Educational Foundation for $30,650, for the following items: door signs, more seating booths for the commons area mezzanine, the robotics program, teaching smart boards, two hoops for the playground, an exercise bike, and the eighth-grade field trip.