Bellevue Independent Schools students and families will return to school this year to three nearly completed facilities, after a year of renovation delays.
LINK nky joined a Bellevue board of education work session on Wednesday for a tour of renovated athletic facilities — Leo Gilligan Field, Ben Flora Gymnasium — and Grandview Elementary School.
Leo Gilligan Field
Upgrades to historic Leo Gilligan Field are almost at the finish line.
New amenities this year include a brand new concession and restroom facility, tennis courts compatible with pickleball, a field events area and a redone track.
Also new this year is an accessible ramp up to the facility’s grandstands, which are the oldest functioning stadium stands in Kentucky, according to Bellevue Board of Education Chairperson Jenn Owens.
The facility’s new synthetic turf field, completed prior to this school year, replaced Northern Kentucky’s last grass field.
As of Aug. 5, the facility is still awaiting some final work, including striping and completed fencing for the track and paving the parking lot.
Superintendent Misty Middleton also told the board Wednesday that she and contractors have discussed redoing a section of pavement and fencing adjacent to the parking lot and to address sediment issues and create continuous walking access within the facility.
Middleton told LINK nky in an email that the district went over its $8.4 million combined renovation budget for Leo Gilligan Field and Ben Flora Gymnasium to address unforeseen structural challenges caused by water and hillside stability issues.
Ben Flora Gymnasium
Key renovations to 54-year-old Ben Flora Gymnasium are complete, including a new entrance, renovated locker rooms and visitor bathrooms.
The district’s Back to School Bash will take place at the gymnasium on Aug. 13 from 5:00 to 6:30 p.m.
Grandview Elementary School
It’s the first time in two years that all floors of the five-story Grandview Elementary School building will be open for business as major renovations wrap up.
The board toured the school’s redone cafeteria on Wednesday, which complements its separate, newly renovated gymnasium, finished halfway through last school year.
Contractors are also finishing final touches of the building’s bottom floor, which will house the preschool, space for afterschool programs and an office for district use.
Other upgrades in the elementary school renovation project included a new heating and cooling system, flooring and safety features like key card door locks.
The district stayed within its $12.7 million Grandview renovation budget, according to Middleton.
