Jul 29, 2009 2 min read

Uniontown Area School Board announced Tuesday that new light poles at Bill Power Stadium will soon be installed. The school district was forced to replace the light poles after an 80-foot pole collapsed onto the high school field in April, damaging part of the fencing, athletic field and wiring. The stadium pole that collapsed was one of three that supported stadium lights. The district voluntarily removed two 100-foot poles from the stadium’s other side as well as a second 80-foot pole after cracks were found in its steel.

Rob Smalley, buildings and grounds director for the school district, told board members at Tuesday’s meeting that Universal Sports Lighting supplied the district with four new, 80-foot poles at no cost to the district to replace the dysfunctional poles.

According to Smalley, the district paid an independent engineering firm to check the new poles and ensure their safety.

Board member Philip Holt said it cost the district about $3,500 to have a third party review the poles, but he said he believes it was money well spent to ensure the safety of people who frequent the field.

“We just want to be safe,” he said.

The board voted to award a contract to W. R. Casteel Co. of Hopwood to install the poles.

Bids were opened Monday and Casteel was the low bidder.

Smalley said the new poles should be in place within the next couple weeks.

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission is conducting an investigation into the collapse of the pole at Bill Power Stadium and others across the nation. Uniontown Area School District is cooperating with the investigation, district officials said.

Now-bankrupt Whitco Co. manufactured the poles that were previously located at the field.

According to school officials, eight poles manufactured by Whitco have fallen across the nation and an excess of 35 to 40 other poles have been replaced.