The Mahomet-Seymour Community Unit School District No. 3 Board of Education approved a $197,600 project to replace deteriorating softball dugouts.
At their August 18 meeting, board members reviewed superintendent Dr. Kenny Lee’s recommendation to approve the low bid submitted by Barber & DeAtley, Inc. for $172,550 to construct new softball dugouts, plus an alternate bid of $25,050 for baseball dugout roof replacements.
The project, designed by Reifsteck Wakefield Fanning & Company architects, would replace the existing softball dugouts that “have outlived their useful lives” with new concrete masonry unit (CMU) structures featuring storage facilities and concrete walkways between structures for reduced maintenance costs.
The bid packet says, “Reifsteck Wakefield Fanning & Company (RWF) contacted Barber & DeAtley to ascertain their familiarity with the project documents, the project schedule, and their willingness to proceed with the project work.
We discussed their understanding of the project scope as outlined in the bid package. After our discussion we feel that they are clear on the requirements set forth in the documents and the bid package description.
Barber & DeAtley indicated that they are satisfied with their bid amount; are confident in their ability to
complete the work successfully in the time frame established; and are ready to proceed when authorized.”
The total funding package includes contributions from multiple sources:
- $50,000 from the M-S Athletic Boosters (pending official approval)
- $25,000 from Bulldog Open funds
- $25,000 from corporate sponsorships
- Remaining costs covered by district funds
The approved dugout design features 8-inch concrete masonry unit construction with metal roof panels, designed to meet current building codes and ADA accessibility standards. The structures will include:
- Split-faced CMU walls with proper reinforcement
- Metal roof and wall panel systems with 20+ year warranties
- Concrete walkways and storage facilities
- Proper drainage and vapor barrier systems
The project is scheduled for completion in time for the next softball season.
While there appears to be unanimous support for improving the softball facilities, board discussions revealed deeper concerns about athletic equity and long-term planning.
Board member Jeff Banister raised questions about the baseball facilities during deliberations.
“I’m 110% support of everything for the softball field. My concern is on the baseball side of things,” Jeff stated during the meeting. “I want to make sure that we give a consistent experience to all sports, whether boys, girls, whatever.”
Banister had concerns about the elevation change from the baseball dugout, saying it affected the spectator experience. The third base dugout’s elevation creates sightline issues where spectators “can’t see into left field” due to the dugout blocking the view, according to Banister.
A few board members said there is a similar issue with the softball fields. Board members discussed everything from rebuilding the softball dugouts to burying the baseball dugouts. This brought up the issue of equality and Title IX.
Another issue was funding the project. Board member Max McComb, who is also a prominent figure in the Mahomet-Seymour Athletic Booster organization, said that while the school district was counting on funding from them, the Athletic Booster board had not approved that move yet. For this reason, McComb was the lone “no” vote.
Board members also discussed the optics of building new dugouts while the school district struggles to have enough classrooms for students.
“It makes me a little uncomfortable to say we’re going to spend however many hundreds of 1000s of dollars to put new dugouts in when we got kids sitting in portables outside of junior high, and we’re talking about moving classrooms over here,” board member Sunny McMurry said.
Superintendent Kenny Lee said the athletic spaces were in need of updating, though. Specifically, the softball dugouts are leaning. He also mentioned that next summer the district would look at resurfacing the baseball and softball fields, and that bleachers in the high school gym were in need, so it might be time to look at redoing that space.
He also said that the commitments for donations from private sources had been made to both baseball and softball, not just softball.
While board members were hesitant to approve the project, they voted on the base bid for the softball project from Barber & DeAtley, Inc. for $172,550. The measure passed 6-1 with the understanding that the group would talk about the project again.
