(Red Oak) -- The Red Oak School District's track is receiving a new coat of structural spray coating later this month.
At its regular meeting this week, the Red Oak School Board unanimously approved the bid from Midwest Tennis and Track Company out of Denison for $82,000 to apply the structural spray to the racing surface. The board received a second bid from Upper Midwest Athletic Construction out of Minnesota for around $101,000. Red Oak Superintendent Ron Lorenz says while the Midwest Tennis and Track proposal came in under the engineer's estimate of $85,000, the bid met all requirements.
"Larson Engineering qualified the bids and determined that Midwest Tennis and Track's low bid of $82,000 was both responsive and responsible and that they recommended that bid," said Lorenz. "So we're recommending that the board approve that bid so that we can get started."
However, Lorenz emphasized the process is simply a resurfacing project to extend the track's life.
"That is not rebuilding the track, it is simply resurfacing and is a black structural spray that will go in over the top of the existing track and that's going to buy us three-to-five years," said Lorenz. "We're still going to have issues with the track, we're going to have to do some foundational things down the road, but this will enhance the surface and get us by for now."
Board President Bret Blackman says the track is already well beyond its life expectancy. School officials say the track was closed for most of this week to allow for patchwork in preparation for the resurfacing expected to begin July 11. Lorenz expects the work to wrap up by the end of July.
