Wood County Schools is reaffirming its commitment to completing voter-approved bond projects while assuring district fiscal responsibility, including the existing visitor-side bleachers at Stadium Field located on the campus of Parkersburg High School.
The bond, which passed in May 2022, has a $2,000,000 allocation to "develop, acquire, design, construct, equip, furnish, improve and pay all fees and expenses for certain athletic facility improvements at Parkersburg High School, including, without limitation, renovations to the existing visitor-side bleachers, renovations to Building 413, and upgrading the existing restroom facilities."
The first bid sought included the restoration of the visitor-side bleachers. During the January 14, 2025, Board of Education meeting, Kaleb Lawrence, Assistant Superintendent of Operations, shared with the Board that there were three bids received. The lowest bid was from United Construction Company Inc., with a bid of $5,433,000. The Board voted on January 28, 2025, not to accept any of the three bids.
After the bids were not accepted, the PHS Stadium Committee met with Wood County Board of Education administrators, Parkersburg High School administrators, and members of Pickering Associates to discuss options for stadium renovations. Following the meeting, a new renovation plan was designed and presented at a Board of Education meeting on February 24, 2026.
The second bid opportunity for the PHS stadium renovations included adjusting the stadium size to accommodate key improvements—including additional parking with ADA-compliant spaces, enhanced safety measures such as a new fence and guard gate, and a desired visitor locker room, which would be housed in Building 413. Funding from the district’s safety budget would have supported the enhancement of safety and security of the campus without the utilization of bond funds; this is listed as Alternate 1 below. Unfortunately, this second option, which reduced the seating capacity while upgrading the restrooms and creating a locker room, increased the cost instead of decreasing it.
During the Board of Education meeting on June 23, 2026, Wood County Schools' Finance Director Kaylee Litman provided the Board of Education with an updated bond budget, including Board-approved projects in progress to date, as well as the potential financial implications if the Board voted on the recommendation to accept Grae-Con's base bid on the second project at $6,980,000 and Alternate 1 at $594,920, for a total bid award of $7,574,920. The motion was made to approve the bid recommendation, and the motion failed due to a lack of a second.
Wood County Schools will continue to work on a plan forward to improve the athletic facilities at Parkersburg High School as the district complies with the bond while maintaining fiscal responsibility.