The Catawba County school system plans to replace bleachers at several of its high school football stadiums, according to a report published recently in The Observer-News-Enterprise.

The Catawba County Board of Education has approved an agreement to hire an architect to create design concepts and cost estimates for the replacements.

Assistant Superintendent Steve Demiter said the school system is exploring work on the home and visitor bleachers at St. Stephens and Bandys, the home side at Fred T. Foard and the visitor side at Bunker Hill.

The school system asked the county for $2.3 million to fund bleacher replacements at the high schools, and the county provided $1.9 million, Demiter said. An updated budget the school board approved Monday night lists that $1.9 million for bleacher replacements at Foard and St. Stephens.

“Many of the bleachers were put in many years ago,” Demiter told the board. “We’re not sure we’re going to be able to do all the bleachers right now, so we’re going to have to prioritize.”

The school system hopes an architect will report design and cost options back to the board by November or December. Once the school board approves a design and cost estimate, it will seek bids for work on the replacements. Selected replacements could by done by the 2012 football season.