Akron Public Schools is preparing to do work on two football stadiums, one which will see necessary repairs, and the other, a significant upgrade.
The Kenmore stadium, where Garfield Community Learning Center plays its home games, had a pipe burst this winter, causing damage and leaving the locker rooms without water. The school board last week approved bids to do the repair work, as well as asphalt repairs and resurfacing of the stadium parking lot.
The Buchtel CLC stadium is slated to receive a major upgrade with the construction of a new combination press box and concession stand, which will also provide new restrooms for the stadium. Previously, those attending games had to go inside the school to access a restroom. The board last week approved a contract with an architect for the project.
Executive Director of Business Affairs Deb Foulk said the district expects the Kenmore stadium repairs to be completed before the fall season starts. The Buchtel project is still in the early phases and will likely not break ground until the spring, she said.
The money for both projects will come out of capital improvement dollars set aside in the general fund for major repairs or upgrades that don’t have another funding source.
Burst pipe causes flooding in Kenmore stadium
Foulk said the Kenmore work is a result of a pipe that burst, causing flooding damage in a storage area and requiring the water to be shut off to the entire stadium. That means not being able to even water the grass, let alone provide water to players, coaches and spectators.
“We couldn’t do anything until it got to be warm enough weather in order to repair that,” Foulk said.
They first had to fully assess the damage and to determine where the pipe had burst, and if it was on the main line coming into the stadium or a line within it. The latter turned out to be the case, making it the district’s responsibility to repair instead of the city’s issue.
Then it was determined that the burst pipe had also caused damage to the asphalt in the parking lot, which will also need to be repaired. The company will also resurface the lot, Foulk said.
The cost to repair the water line will be $28,195. The asphalt work will be $31,700.
Board member Rev. Gregory Harrison spoke about the repairs last week, saying he was not aware of the burst pipe until students at Garfield spoke to the Beacon Journal for a story about their meeting with then-Superintendent Michael Robinson. The students said at the time Robinson claimed not to know the condition of their field.
Foulk said the district was aware, but that the repairs had to wait for the weather and had to go through the bidding process.
“I didn’t know it was to that degree,” Harrison said of the repairs. “I’m thankful to the kids for bringing it to our attention.”
Akron Public Schools spending estimated $1.5 million to upgrade Buchtel stadium
At Buchtel, the district plans to spend roughly $1.5 million on the new press box, concession stands and restrooms.
Harrison said it was an example of the district investing in one of the few ways that the schools have to make money.
“We have to keep these things up and working,” he said.
Foulk said the administration will have a more accurate price tag for the project once it goes through the design phase. At the June 9 meeting, the board approved a contract with Hasenstab Architects, Inc., to serve as the architect for the project.
Foulk said the stadium’s press box was built in 1955, and that replacing it was “something that certainly had been advocated for a number of years.”
“It’s going to be an improvement to the stadium, which we will be happy to have,” she said.
Contact education reporter Jennifer Pignolet at jpignolet@thebeaconjournal.com, at 330-996-3216 or on Twitter @JenPignolet.
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Repairs, upgrades coming to Akron’s Kenmore, Buchtel football stadiums
Reporting by Jennifer Pignolet, Akron Beacon Journal / Akron Beacon Journal
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