Coldwater Schools Superintendent Doug Mader—-
(10-27-26) A little behind-the-scenes update from the Palace—and an example of how we approach spending at Coldwater Exempted Village Schools.
As many of you know, we plan to replace the bleacher system next summer in the Palace, our main indoor sporting venue. These are the original bleachers installed when the Palace was built in 1990, and after 36 years of use, they are showing their age.
The home side has to be manually pulled out the last few feet, which is causing part of the system to warp. Repairs and upkeep are becoming increasingly expensive. The visitor side had been working much better—until this week, when the motor that extends and retracts those bleachers completely failed.
The cost of a replacement motor? $3,500. And we only need it to get us through roughly seven more months.
While discussing two other projects with a local general contractor, we happened to mention our bad timing. He told us he had saved a few bleacher motors from a school project where the old bleachers were removed. While the motor isn’t an exact match, our maintenance team is working to adapt the mounting brackets in hopes of getting the bleachers safely operating again.
Why does retracting the bleachers matter?
When they are fully extended, we lose access to two basketball courts. That space supports youth basketball, our high school girls’ and boys’ basketball practices, and many other school events and activities.
And yes, even with an approximately $20 million district budget, we are looking for a way to avoid spending $3,500 on a motor that will only be used for a few months.
More often than people may realize, we do without one thing so we can repair or purchase something else. Every dollar is scrutinized, and we explore the options before committing funds. We know these are our community’s dollars, and we take that responsibility seriously.
That same careful review applies to staffing. As needs change, we ask whether each position is still needed in its current form, whether responsibilities can be adjusted or expanded, and how we will fund those decisions while supporting our students and staff.
This is hard, meticulous work. It takes honest conversations, thoughtful planning, and sometimes difficult choices. But making our schools stronger for students is worth the effort.
Thank you to the contractor willing to help and to our maintenance team for putting their skills to work. This is one small example of the care that goes into keeping our schools running and making the most of what we have while planning for the future.
