SENECA - The time has come for Seneca Royals sports fans to get some new seats in the gymnasium, the school board decided at their monthly meeting held Monday, Dec. 19.

The 50-year-old bleachers are in relatively good shape, in part because of regular inspections and regular maintenance.

The district sought bids from four or five companies to replace the aging bleachers, Seneca School District Administrator Dave Boland told the board. There were three responses and bids ranged from $104,000 to $139,000.

The company that bid $120,000 has installed bleachers in Prairie du Chien, DeSoto and LaFarge. All those schools seemed satisfied with the bleachers they had installed, according to Boland.

The low bid of $104,000 came from a Milwaukee company that has installed bleachers for Cassville.

When Seneca checked with Cassville, they were assured that all went well with the installation and if the district were to do it again they would work with the same companies

All of the new bleachers being bid were plastic and the depth of the bleachers has increased from 9” to 10.” The size of the width of the seat increased from 22” to 24.”

Installation of the bleachers would take three to four months, Boland told the board. The installation will be completed 14 to 16 weeks from the time there are approved shop drawings.

With Cassville’s endorsement that if they were to do it all over, ‘We’d hire him again,’ the board unanimously approved the bleacher replacement bid of the $104,500 from the Goodson Company of Milwaukee.

The selected color? Royal Blue of course, as in ‘Let’s Go Blue!’

After a brief discussion earlier in the meeting, the board approved a plan that would allow for electronic payment of school fees.

Boland told the board that there was a preference to pay electronically, especially among some of the younger parents.

After hearing a review of two companies with the ability to transfer funds electronically, the board elected to use E-Funds because of its easy compatibility with the district’s Skyward Program.

In approving E-Funds, the board affirmed it would pay the annual and any other charges from the company.

In other business, the Seneca School Board:

• approved the course selection of four more students in the Start College Now program-bringing the total to eight or nine

• learned the 2022-23 budget was running as planned-one third of the way through the schoolyear

• learned the school’s 3-D printer had been upgraded through a trade-in facilitated with CESA #3 at a net cost of $2,800 to the district

• learned the SHARE Group had provided 125 holiday gift baskets in the local community

• approved giving the sheriff’s department key fobs to open school doors when responding in an emergency situation

• learned that paperwork for the board election was due on January 3 and only the incumbents running for office, Britney Joy and Mark Johnson, had filed papers as of that moment

• heard middle/high school principal Alex Osterkamp report that only two to three detentions per week being issued is a really low rate

• learned that the amount of sickness in the school was decreasing, but recently there had a been  a lot influenza–especially in the elementary school.

The Seneca Area School District Monthly Recognition Award was given to three worthy recipients:

• The senior class, who under the direction of Mrs. Shelly Davidson, painted and spruced up the Seneca Town Hall

• Seneca Band Director Phil Davies for his excellent work in getting the bands ready for the Holiday Concerts

• The SHARE group for distribution of the holiday gift baskets to those in need in the community.