The Wright City R-II School Board took the next step in seeing work done to the athletic fields at the high school. A contract for $1,337,000 was awarded to Professional Contractors and Engineers, Inc. (PCE) of Columbia for the upcoming improvements. Board members voted 6-1 to approve the bid to upgrade the softball and football fields and the installation of an eight-lane all-weather track. Laura Marsh cast the lone dissenting vote. The district received 11 bids for the project, which is being funded by a $3.5 million no-tax increase bond issue that passed in the April election. Bids ranged up to $1,819,000. The second-lowest bid was from Demein Construction for $1,360,000. "They were close to our estimates," Superintendent Chris Gaines said. "We were happy to have 11 bidders. That was unbelievable." Had the school board voted to approve just the base bid excluding the drain, Demein Construction had the low bid of $1,275,000, followed by Diestelkamp Construction at $1,300,000. PCE was third at $1,324,000. Gaines said the benefit of installing a perimeter drain is to help catch run-off from the football field. PCE's bid for the drain was $13,000. The remainder of the bids ranged from $16,622 to $194,000. Some board members were concerned about the disparity in the bids, but Gaines said PCE confirmed it had a firm grasp of the drawings from the architects. Improvements for the baseball/softball field should begin as early as the fall softball season wraps up, Gaines said. Work on the football field won't begin until the season is completed. In addition, Gaines wants to see the field remain accessible for the high school band as it prepares for a trip to a national competition. District officials will be meeting with PCE representatives next Tuesday to put together a time line for the project. "We will get a good beat on when we can get started," he explained. "I'm read to start turning dirt." On top of agreeing to install the perimeter drain, the school board also considered two additional alternates to the base bid that would have increased the project's overall cost at least an additional $300,000. However, Gaines said district officials felt bids for soil remediation ranging from $32,000 to $264,000 were unnecessary since the parking lot at the athletic fields was going to remain gravel. Another bid for sod was between $28,000 to $80,000. Gaines said sod will likely be approved near the tail end of the project, but recommended holding off to keep the initial cost down. The approved bond issue also is providing funding to air condition the high school. Gaines said bid specifications should be approved at the school board's next meeting Oct. 15. Air-conditioning work would then start when the school year ends in May, Gaines said. "We want to bid it out now and have time for the contractor to be ready," he said.