PORT ANGELES — Civic Field is getting a new boiler that will provide hot water for the first time since 2007 to the hundreds of home and visiting high school athletes who use the field for prep sports.
The City Council on Tuesday unanimously approved the purchase of the $15,417 boiler from Ferguson of Sequim, a Newport News, Va.-based distributor of residential and commercial plumbing products that was the low bidder.
“It’s huge,” Dwayne Johnson, Port Angeles High School athletic director, said Sunday.
“After a game down at Civic, especially football, within 30 minutes you’re supposed to be taking a shower.”
Visiting teams have been showering at the high school after games.
Warm water also will be available for the general public when using the bathrooms, Johnson added.
Swift Plumbing & Heating Inc. of Kingston also was the low bidder for installation of the boiler at $14,212, bringing the project cost to $29,630, which is under the budgeted cost of $50,000.
The 300-gallon boiler replaces a 500-gallon unit that was red-tagged in 2007 “due to major deficiencies,” city Parks and Recreation Director Corey Delikat said in a memo Tuesday to City Council members.
There were no bidders from Port Angeles for the project.
“It’s about time that we have replaced the boiler and regained our reputation for Civic Field,” council member Cherie Kidd said Tuesday at the council meeting.
But a committee that was looking into funding options for other renovations to Civic Field, such as improvements to the lighting and turf, is stalled, City Councilman Lee Whetham said at the meeting last week.
“Our committee has somewhat slowed down our momentum,” Whetham said. “We continue to struggle.
“I’d like to bring it back to the council for further attention or action.”
A $4 million bond to upgrade the field failed in 2012 with 56.9 percent of voters approving it, but a 60 percent majority was required for passage.
The Port Angeles School District has pledged $60,000 to help the city replace the 36-year-old lights.
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Senior Staff Writer Paul Gottlieb can be reached at 360-452-2345, ext. 5060, or at pgottlieb@peninsuladailynews.com.
