When Don Christopher puts his name on something, it’s important to him that whatever it is, it’s of the highest quality and executed with the most efficiency – case in point being his Christopher Ranch label that has risen to grandiose stature among California growers since opening in the 1950s.
That’s why, when the garlic guru looked over the $2.6 million Phase I plan for the $4.25 million sports complex at Christopher High School, he was bothered by the exclusion of permanent home-side bleachers.
So, Don picked up the phone, called up sports complex committee member and CHS parent Larry Sanford, and asked what would it take to have the seats in place for the opening kickoff of the 2014 football season.
“He wants to make the stadium as complete as possible,” said Sanford, who announced Thursday that Don is willing to dole out an amount in the neighborhood of $750,000, in addition to the $2.2 million he’s already donated to the project.
The new funds would be designated specifically for the home-side bleachers, Don told Sanford.
With that, Sanford hopes Don’s generosity (closing in on $3 million at this point) is contagious and spreads throughout the community to other people and entities such as the City of Gilroy, the school district, or private donors who feel inspired to aid the effort financially.
“He’s willing to do even more, but he’d like to see others join him [in funding this community project],” said Sanford, who is one of seven members of the Don Christopher Sports Complex Committee, a subcommittee of the local philanthropic Gilroy Foundation.
The estimate for the home-side bleachers in the Phase II construction plans stands at $915,000, but Sanford said an architect has already reached out to the bleacher manufacturer and is working on an adjusted design that may come at a reduced cost. Sanford hopes that plan would then be sent in November to the Division of the State Architect, which would put the bleachers on track for completion at the same time as the first phase. Phase I plans gained DSA approval in early October.
The DCSC has been successful in its two fundraising endeavors – bringing in $60,000 to date through its Legacy Club that offers lifetime entrance to all home games and a family name engraving in the home-side bleachers. The Legacy Club, which costs $2,000 per donor and is limited to the first 100 families, can be purchased at dcsportscomplex.org.
The total funds raised from the Exclusive Sports Complex fundraising campaign, an all-email based effort driven by CHS high school administration, faculty, staff and students that kicked off in September, stands at roughly $20,000, according to Sanford.
The home-side bleacher project would need separate approval from the DSA. The DCSC plans on submitting those plans in November, Sanford said.
Key future items that need School Board approval are:
-Nov. 7: Project goes out to bid
-Nov. 8: First advertisements to solicit bids
-Nov. 15: Second advertisements to solicit bids
-Nov. 20: Pre-bid conference with interested parties
-Dec. 4: Unsealing of bids by the board
-Dec. 12: Formally award bid to general contractor
If all goes to plan, the next step is to provide notice to proceed in January, according to Sanford. Then, Phase I construction, and the home-side bleacher project, will break ground simultaneously sometime in February with a targeted completion date in June.
Phase I also includes the foundation of an all-weather track, an artificial turf football field, scoreboard, lights and the perimeter fence.
The timeline for Phase II, which includes visitor side bleachers, a press box and concession stands, has yet to be finalized but the fundraising will continue, Sanford said.
