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Jobko Stadium flood study gets approval

BELMONT COUNTY Floodplain Coordinator Allen Ketzell looks over a 133-page flood study report from The Kleingers Group of Cincinnati Tuesday morning. Ketzell agreed with the civil engineering firm’s proposed first step toward again playing varsity football games at Bill Jobko Stadium in Brookside.

BROOKSIDE — The Bridgeport Exempted Village School District moved a yard closer to again hosting varsity football games on Perkins Field inside Bill Jobko Stadium, something it hasn’t done in three seasons due to flooding concerns.

On Tuesday morning, Belmont County Floodplain Coordinator Allen Ketzell released his findings on the 133-page flood study performed by The Kleingers Group, a Cincinnati-based civil engineering firm.

“The two big things addressed in the report were the (flood) wall, which was kind of a primary thing., and the grandstands. Everything they came up with, they complied with the flood ordinance of Brookside,” Ketzell said. “Core drillings will be performed to see if they can fasten the grandstands to the ground themselves. That’s where we stand right now.

“Everything they (Kleingers) put in the proposal is in line with our ordinances.”

In 2004, part of an existing flood wall was knocked down and a part of it was put back up, Ketzell recalled.

“I’m 75 years old and I have lived through 72 years of floods. They haven’t changed a bit,” Ketzell noted.

“The field itself drains very well because of the crest in the middle. The sidelines flood before the middle. When the Ohio River gets to 36 feet, the field is covered. The property is going to flood. We all know that, but once the water gets in it has to have a way to get back out.”

Ketzell said the next step is for the school district to submit its final plans about what it wants to do with the stadium to the village of Brookside. Then a geotechnical study will be completed. The state of Ohio will have to approve the latter.

He said he was pleased with what he read in the report.

“What they proposed is very similar to what the school district wants to do,” Ketzell added. “They’re talking about aluminum bleachers with a press box attached.”

Ketzell said the stadium is about 1 mile from where the Wheeling Creek meets the Ohio River.

Bridgeport Superintendent of Schools Brent Ripley was pleased with what he heard following Ketzell’s review of the report.

“We have sent out a request for qualifications for different architectural companies to get back to us on how we can get the bleachers down there and to look at the fieldhouse,” he said. “We have several ideas in mind as to what we want to do.”

He said there’s a possibility that handicap-accessible restroom facilities could be located there, as well as some other things.

“We want to try and clean it up in there a little more so that we have some room,” he said. “We know it’s going to flood, given its history, so we want to make as wise as decisions as we can.”

Ripley said that once companies respond to the request for qualifications, interviews will be set up with the board of education.

“Once we get a company selected, that’s when the geotechnical study will begin,” he said.

“With everything that is going on right now, this is great news for the district,” Ripley continued. “It’s money well-spent. You have to go through the state. You just can’t go pushing dirt around. We want to do things the right way.”

As far as playing on Perkins Field in 2020, Ripley was optimistic.

“In a perfect world I would say yes, but right now we’re not living in a perfect world,” he said.

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