High school stadium's bleachers closed over safety concerns

GREENWOOD, Ind. (AP) - The 4,000-seat bleachers at a suburban Indianapolis high school football stadium have been closed off because of safety concerns.

Officials have decided to indefinitely shut down the stands at Center Grove High School and move this spring's track-and-field meets to other locations.

District Superintendent Richard Arkanoff tells the (Franklin) Daily Journal (http://bit.ly/1TtE79L ) that it would be less expensive to replace the bleachers than to repair the safety problems, including rusted bolts, misaligned support beams and a lack of solid foundation.

School officials don't yet have a cost estimate or timeline for the work, but Arkanoff hopes to have a recommendation for the school board later this month.

Officials say the home-side bleachers' foundation dates to 1975, while the visitors-side bleachers installed in the late 1990s weren't anchored properly.

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Information from: Daily Journal, http://www.dailyjournal.net