ELDON, Mo. -- The Eldon R-1 School District administration hopes to complete a new baseball/softball field at Mustang Memorial Park by August 2017, as part of the facility's next phase of construction.
Eldon Schools Superintendent Matt Davis said he received a professional services proposal from the Architects Alliance Inc. of Jefferson City on Aug. 12 that outlines athletic amenities previously contemplated in the Mustang Memorial Park master plan, which the company developed for the school district.
One of the key amenities in the next phase of construction is a baseball/softball field with a synthetic turf infield, removable mound and grass outfield.
Additional amenities include dugouts; batting cages; an aluminum bleacher pad (with 100 seat bleachers provided by the district); athletic field lighting at the baseball/softball practice field; an elevated small press box at the new field; a discus/shot put pad (including one competition discus ring in concrete, discus cages and safety net provided by the district, one practice discus ring in concrete and one practice shot put ring in concrete); a javelin lane; grass practice fields with goal posts; and an irrigation system in limited areas.
The plans also include designating locations of future building pads, such as a baseball/softball locker building, track and field storage shed, and baseball/softball/football storage shed.
The Mustang Memorial Park, located at the Eldon Middle School campus, held a public dedication and ribbon-cutting ceremony after the project's first phase was completed in August 2012. Davis said that phase started in 1998, when the all-weather track was built. Lights were installed in 2009 so track meets could be held in the evening instead of always hosting them on Saturdays.
Restroom facilities and locker rooms were added in 2010 for student athletes, and the Legacy Plaza area along with 150 additional parking spots was completed in 2011. Within Legacy Plaza, located at the "mustang statue," are a collection of monuments represents each branch of service and paver stones surrounding the statue and on the benches and tables that pay tribute to the accomplishments, memories and legacies of individuals, families, teams, groups and businesses. Upon each monument are the names of Eldon alumni and members of the community who have served their country.
"In 2012, we completed the bleachers and press box, which allowed us to host football games at Victor Field," Davis said. "The cost of everything listed is around $1.6 million."
The Architects Alliance's professional services proposal also outlines its services in engineering, designing, consulting and some additional services for the next phase at Mustang Memorial Park. The general outline includes schematic design, design development, construction documents, competitive bidding and construction phase services, for an estimated cost of $63,845.
The company proposed it would serve as team leader and architect for this portion of the next phase, with civil engineering assistance from Harms, Inc., of Eldon; structural engineering from Allstate Consultants LLC, of Columbia; mechanical/electrical engineering from Midwest Engineering & Design, of Columbia, and additional site athletic specialty services from Central Missouri Professional Services Inc., of Jefferson City.
"Depending on estimated cost, our goal would be to start immediately after track season (in) May with a goal to be completed by August 2017," Davis said.
Davis also said district administration has discussed including a BMX track at Mustang Memorial Park, as part of its future plans.