St. Mary School Board member Alaina Black on Tuesday hears architect Carl Blum talk about plans to make repairs and upgrades at the Morgan City High Stadium.

CENTERVILLE — The Morgan City High School Stadium needs work, an architect told the School Board on Tuesday. The price tag raised some eye-brows among board members.

Architect Carl P. Blum presented the District III Maintenance Committee, which makes maintenance decisions for east St. Mary schools, with a renovation plan laying out repairs and upgrades that would cost about $2.2 million.

Board members who belong to the District III committee — the members who represent east St. Mary — voted to move $1 million from a maintenance fund into a capital projects fund. But it’s not clear how much of that would go toward the stadium, where the rest of the money would come from or whether the work can be complete by the August 2023 date set out in Blum’s proposal.

Blum’s analysis centers mainly on the fact that the facility is big and old. The stadium was constructed in the 1950s, and most recent major repairs were done after Hurricane Andrew damaged the facility in 1992.

Among the problems and upgrades identified in Blum’s report:

—Stadium seating, ramps and railings. Code changes and the Americans With Disabilities Act have come into being since the stadium was built. Upgrades are needed for rails throughout the stadium, the report said, including along the bottom of the walkway and along the ramps.

ADA-compliant rails are needed at each set of steps going up to the bleachers. Fences surrounding two sides and at the top of stadium should be replaced with rails.

—Stadium and track lighting. The pole-mounted lights on the visitors’ side of the stadium have been replaced with LED fixtures over the last few years. The remaining four poles at the main stadium still need to be replaced.

Another set of lights for people using the track with-out the need to turn on the main stadium lights is also being considered.

—Fencing. The perimeter fence is in good shape, but the fences separating the seating areas from the field “are in dire need of replacement.”

—The press box was rebuilt in 1993 after being destroyed by Hurricane Andrew. Some upgrades in technology and railings are needed.

—Visitor seating needs major repairs.

—The track. The current track was built in 1994 to replace a cinder track. The track was raised on crushed concrete covered by street-grade asphalt.

Because asphalt deteriorates and cracks, the latex surface should be stripped away and, when the asphalt is considered adequate, replaced with a surface using the latest material.

—Stadium understructure. The understructure needs cleaning, waterproofing and a structural inspection.

—Stadium underside redevelopment. The area that housed restrooms and concession sales before new facilities were built in 1992 is an eyesore and creates a space that can’t be supervised. Those old facilities should be considered for removal, opening the space, the Blum proposal said.

Among the most expensive items in the plan, checking the track asphalt and replacing the surface would cost about $680,000, the report said.

The stadium and track lighting would cost an esti-mated $400,000, and the stadium understructure work would add another $300,000.

Work on the stadium seating area, ramps and railings would cost $120,000, and the visitor seating work comes in at $100,000. The estimated subcontract cost in Blum’s plan is about $1.74 million. Fees, overhead and profits would add about $500,000.

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