Located in southwestern Ontario, one of our most recent projects lead us to beautiful Essex County, Ontario. Stretching south along the banks of Lake Erie, the area is known for its wonderful beaches and small-town flair.
The project was brought to us by the Greater Essex County District School Board as they were interested in creating a custom grandstand bleacher for the Essex District High School located in the northwest corner of the City of Essex. Founded in 1885, the high school serves as the oldest operating publicly funded secondary school in the entire province of Ontario and currently serves roughly 1,000 students in the area.
Looking to add to the sidelines of the school’s athletic field, the idea to design and build a custom 10-tier grandstand was brought to our team earlier this year. In addition to the seating and ensuring the bleacher was completely accessible, our team was also mandated with coordinating, furnishing and closing off the building permit as well as procuring all inspectors necessary for the school to obtain occupancy from the municipal building authority.
After the initial planning process was completed, our design team was at the helm of the project, tasked with designing the structure. Upon completion, key stakeholders from the school board were involved in the approval process ahead of production.
Once all designs were signed off, our manufacturing team got to work on the bleacher. Following the manufacturing process, the entire system was safely transported directly to the school and met by our installation team last month.
In addition to the completely customized wheelchair ramps and accessible seating areas on the grandstand, one of our sleeper systems as well as our earth anchor systems were installed on the bottom of the bleacher. Given that the school had elected to erect the structure on a granular asphalt base, these additional systems were required to ensure a safe and level installation.
Today, this beautiful bleacher structure graces the sidelines of the school’s athletic field and track and will serve generations of student athletes and their fans for years to come.