Stephanie Hobbs is keeping her fingers crossed that the bleachers at Stouffer Field will be completed in time for Rina’s Run in May.
She’s president of the Ripon Community Athletic Foundation, a grassroots effort that started back in 2007 to improve the football stadium at Ripon High.
“Many of you were not around to experience the conditions of the stadium back then,” said Hobbs to group of RHS students at Monday’s school board meeting.
RCAF, in recent years, replaced the playing field, installed an all-weather track, re-did the drainage system, and put up a new ticket box booth and entrance gate thanks to about  $1.3 million in money and other donated items.
Ripon Unified forked out for the bleachers.
“Even though we didn’t donate (to the bleachers), we were still involved in the process,” Hobbs said.
Trustees approved the preliminary plans by WLC Architects, Inc. The ADA-compliant project will include handicap accessible ramps and seating area equipped with companion seat, mid- aisle railing, and chain link fencing underneath the bleachers.
Speaking on behalf of RCAF, Stephanie and her husband Vince Hobbs noted that the current bleachers were unsafe and in disrepair in recent years.
RUSD had available funding for new bleachers, in which the board approved not too long ago.
Plans still must be reviewed by the Division of State Architects for final approval.
The hope is for the work to begin in a couple of months and completed before early May.
That would coincide with Rina’s Run, RCAF’s big fundraising event scheduled for May 13 at Stouffer Field.
“I pray (the bleachers) will be completed by then,” Stephanie Hobbs said.

To contact reporter Vince Rembulat, e-mail vrembulat@mantecabulletin.com