MIFFLINTOWN — The East Juniata Tigers fans have been filling the bleachers at the school’s gymnasium since 1989. In recent years, the bleachers have needed repairs just to allow fans to use them.

After 35 years, school officials believe the bleachers need to be replaced in the gymnasiums of East Juniata High School in Cocolamus as well as Tuscarora Junior High School in Mifflintown to ensure fan safety and improve accessibility.

The topic of replacing the bleachers was one of the topics discussed by the Juniata County School District Board of Directors during its monthly workshop meeting at the Administration Building in Mifflintown Wednesday night.

Juniata County School District Superintendent of Schools Christie Holderman said the bleachers at East Juniata are original. She didn’t know the exact age of Tuscarora’s bleachers, which are on one side of the school’s gym. East Juniata has bleachers on both sides.

“They both have broken components,” explained Holderman, who added there are dangerous gaps and bent metal throughout the seating areas.

The price tag for replacing the bleachers at both schools could be in the ballpark of $380,000 to $390,000.

“I definitely know EJ needs new bleachers, they were bad 10 years ago,” said school director Cindy Treaster, who worked at East Juniata previously.

Holderman said capital reserves could be used to cover the cost of the bleachers.

Assistant Superintendent of Schools Ben Fausey said the district has not found any grants to help supplement the cost. He also contacted other districts who have made general improvements to their athletic facilities recently and none of them used grant money to fund the improvements.

Members of the school facilities staff, including Lead Multi-Crafter Matt Wray, have contacted four bleacher manufacturing companies for estimates; two have responded to date.

If purchased, the new bleachers would resolve existing safety issues and provide better seating accessibility for handicapped and older fans. New bleachers allow flexibility when handicapped seating is needed.