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VIDALIA, La. — The Concordia Parish School Board accepted a contractor’s bid to resurface both the Vidalia High School and Ferriday High School football fields during a special called meeting on Thursday evening.

The contract to resurface both fields — scraping away the top, leveling, digging drainage canals and resodding them — was awarded to Camo Construction Co. of Vidalia for $715,683. Bryant Hammett & Associates LLC was previously engaged for the engineering work.

The next lowest bid was $1,256,950 from G. Rayborne Contracting of Natchez and three other bids received from Southern Sites Services of Monroe, Womack & Sons Construction Group of Harrisonburg, and Bayou Construction Services of Sicily Island were over budget, said CPSB Business Affairs Director Tom O’Neal.

The limited time left before football season starts this fall made swift approval of the bid in a special called meeting necessary.

Board member Derrick Carson voiced only one question about the bid during Thursday’s meeting.

“Is there any concern with getting this done in the timeframe we need it?” he asked.

School board officials discussed their desire to have both fields finished before the seasons start. Vidalia anticipates playing the first home game the last weekend in August while Ferriday isn’t scheduled for a home game until mid-September.

However, school board member Wayne Wilson said the present condition of Ferriday’s field makes it unplayable.

Holes in the field pose trip and fall hazards and fill up with water after rain.

One option discussed was to start on Ferriday’s field first so that games could be played on the Vidalia field if the Ferriday field isn’t finished before the season.

“Vidalia’s is playable but Ferriday has to be done,” Wilson said.

The school board left it up to the building and grounds committee to discuss with contractors the likelihood of having both fields finished on time if they are both worked on simultaneously.

Carson, who is a member of the committee with Wilson and Matt Taunton, said, “If we can get both done in a timely fashion, that needs to be the plan.”