The conditions of the bleachers and restrooms at Stouffer Field have been a touchy subject for the Ripon Community Athletic Foundation.

So much so that members and supporters of the non-profit group in charge of remodeling of the Ripon High stadium are hoping to do something about it soon.

“These bleachers are so old and dilapidated, continuing to repair them are a waste of precious resources,” said Dean Uecker of Farmers Insurance who also serves on the Ripon City Council.

A supporter of the stadium project, he made an unspecified donation to RCAF, which uses proceeds from Rina’s Run held during the Mother’s Day weekend as its main fundraiser.

According to RCAF President Stephanie Hobbs, $1.5 million is needed to bring the grassroots project that began in 2007 to a close.

Thus far, RCAF under the direction of Vince Hobbs, Stephanie’s husband, has raised and installed $1.65 million in donated infrastructure.

Ripon Unified chipped in a total of $250,000, of which $150,000 went towards the installation of all-weather surface track while $100,000 is allocated to the stadium restrooms.

RUSD has been exploring funding for various district facility needs, according to Hobbs.

She’s been doing her part, working year-round advocating, applying for grants and networking for that last stretch of funding.

RCAF is hoping for members of the community to once again step up by investing in “this facility (which) will keep RHS very high on their list of priorities,” said Hobbs.

For more information, call Hobbs at 209.599.6861 or click on to Ripon Community Athletic Foundation on Facebook.com.