Oak Park High School found themselves in a predicament to begin the 2023 year: they knew it was time to invest in new high school bleachers, but had a couple of specific items in mind. They wished for the bleachers to be delivered in the busy summer season, around the multiple team schedules and practices. They wanted a more modern look, to showcase school pride. Additionally, shortening the length of the bleacher to leave a little extra wall space was discussed. After gathering their wish list, they found another hurdle in the form of purchasing options. The expense for the new bleachers would require them to put the project out for bid, and the tight delivery schedule would be put in jeopardy.
All of these questions, concerns, and hopes were raised when the school met with Farnham Equipment Company (FEC). During this process, FEC informed Oak Park of an alternative option for purchasing: Sourcewell. Hussey Seating Company (HSC) has partnered with Sourcewell to offer a nationally leveraged, competitively bid contract, which streamlines the ability to purchase the HSC products directly, as it has fulfilled the out-for-bid process. This saves time and money and allows customers to have access to a high-quality product. When Oak Park learned about this opportunity, they worked with FEC on logos, design and ultimately went through Sourcewell to have FEC deliver and install this within their summer deadline.
The finished product included two large telescopic bleacher banks from HSC. In total, the new bleachers provide over 1,000 seats for spectators, who sit in a comfortable courtside plastic seat with a bright red color. Other features of these bleachers include auto-rotating aisle rails for ease, flex-row seating for ADA compliance, custom-colored end rails, and safety end curtains with school logos. Additionally, both banks of seating include Xtreme Logos with the Oak Park Knights Logo on the left and right sections of seating, and a Knight with the letters “OP” in the middle section of seating.
Additionally, FEC installed new wall padding behind the main basketball courts to go along with the new bleacher seating.
Oak Park was thrilled with the final result. By utilizing Sourcewell and FEC’s expertise, they were able to get brand new bleachers to start the 2023 school year. This project is a great example of schools looking to Sourcewell to be able to work directly with FEC for their bleacher needs, especially when time is an important factor for such a project. In addition, this project marked the first major project for FEC since it expanded into the state of Michigan for bleachers and ongoing service, maintenance and repairs.
The full project gallery at Oak Park High School is visible below.
