While the main scope of the ongoing construction work at Dowagiac Union High School has focused on the interior renovations and new competition gym going up at the site, the community’s most pressing question this summer has been whether or not the football field will be ready for the Chieftains’ first snap in their home stadium later this month.

Judging by the rapid progress crews have made the last several days at Chris Taylor Alumni Field, Dowagiac Union Schools leaders can confidently answer, “game on.”

Contractors are currently installing new bleachers at the Dowagiac football field, located a short distance away from the high school on North Paul Street. Materials for the new seating on the home side of the field arrived on Friday, while the steel for the visiting bleachers arrived Tuesday morning.

Crews have already finished building the skeleton for the home bleachers, and have installed all the footrests as well as one of the sets of stairs leading from the concrete path in front of the seats to the bleachers. Over the next several weeks, the builders will install the additional stairways and the seats, as well as finish up the seating on the visitors’ side of the field.

Work on the stadium should be wrapped up by the time the Chieftains play their first home game of the season on Aug. 31, said Superintendent Paul Hartsig.

“We are on a good pace to have everything completed on time,” he said.

The new bleacher installation is part of the many projects that will take place around the district in the coming years, which are funded through $37 million in school bonds voters approved in 2015. Work at Chris Taylor has taken place alongside the first phase of construction at Dowagiac Union High School, which will completely transform the interior of the building.

The new bleachers, which the district purchased from The Dan Clayton Corporation, will cost $395,350. Hartsig said that Union Schools leaders chose to use money from the bond issue to update the bleachers as the old seating was no longer up to snuff.

“Safety and security are among the biggest issues we are focusing on,” the superintendent said. “The bleachers are a big part of that.”

The new seating will be more accommodating to visitors with disabilities as well. Among these features are entry and exit ramps for people with wheelchairs, a concrete walkway surrounding the perimeter of the bleachers and special sections designed for people who need extra space.

“We want our district’s facilities to be accessible to all members of the community,” Hartsig said. “Our football games are typically the largest events in the city on Friday nights during the fall, and we want as many people to come out and enjoy them as possible.”

The district does not plan to stop there, though.

Next summer, leaders plan to install a new facility at the northwest entrance of the field. The building will include a new concession stand, handicap-accessible restrooms and a new locker room for Dowagiac players and coaches (teams currently use the nearby Patrick Hamilton Elementary building to prepare before games).

The district is also looking to install new fencing around the football field, as well as an LED sign near the southwest corner. They would also like to install additional bleachers near the north end zone, which would be used for Dowagiac students and band members.

Leaders are still working on designs for the new facilities, and hope to begin bidding out projects by fall, Hartsig said. Construction should begin in late spring or early summer, which is the same time the district wants to begin renovation work to several of its elementary buildings.