High school grandstand demolished with help from alumni

BONNERS FERRY — After several decades of use, the bleachers and grandstands at Mendenhall Stadium on the Bonners Ferry High School and Boundary County Middle School campus have been demolished.

“The old stadium is no longer stable, and if you’ve been on them as a parent of small children, or as an older individual, you probably already know that,” Boundary County School District Superintendent Jan Bayer said over social media.

The project has received donations for materials and demolition.

The district is funding the project including engineering costs through the general fund, forest funds, monies from the Kootenai Tribe of Idaho and donations from sponsors.

The new grandstand will be ADA-compliant, but is projected to be completed during the football season, Boundary County School Board trustees have said. Community members and former students will have the opportunity to sponsor seats, just like at Becker Auditorium. Donation information and forms are available at the district's website.

At several BCSD meetings, trustees have discussed the project and planned for the demolition to take place when school is out. Now the view of Selkirk Mountains is unhindered on the track and on Tamarack Lane.

Several Bonners Ferry High School alumni participated in the demolition and hauling away the old bleachers.

Among those helping were APEX — Jim Woodward, Class of 1988, his son Avery, Tyler Pauls, Class of 2006, and Spencer Pauls, Class of 2008; Dennis Fitch Construction — Dennis Fitch, Class of 1980; 9B Excavation — Darron Branson, Class of 1983, and driver Wally Barton, Class of 1985; Wink, Inc. — Jordan Winkelseth, Class of 2007, and driver Bob Branson, Class of 1991.