School Board hears update on Memorial Stadium work
The El Dorado School Board received an update on upcoming alterations to Memorial Stadium, which are expected to be completed after school gets out for the summer.
This is the second phase of the alterations, after the recent completion of a new track and fencing for the stadium, which cost $300,000 and was paid by the school district. The next phase of the alterations will include developing a two-tier press box and bringing the west side of stadium seating into compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act.
These alterations are being done by CADM Architecture Inc, which is the same company that built the original stadium in 1947. It was built to honor Union County residents who served in World War II. The stadium’s original architect, the late John Abbott, founded CADM so the original architectural drawings are being used for structural analysis.
The cost of the alterations is expected to be around $700,000 and was approved by the El Dorado Works Board in August. The funding is coming from the city’s one-cent, economic development tax. The school board is not fronting any cost for this phase of the alterations, but rents the stadium from the city and pays for maintenance, personnel and supplies.
As part of the project, Blake Dunn with CADM Architecture said they’ll need to remove two rows of bleachers from the front of the west grandstand in order to widen the area so that visitors who use a wheelchair can maneuver the bleachers.
Currently, access for these patrons is on the track. The alteration is going
to include a ramp, Dunn said, that will be on the north side of the bleachers. Between the ramp, removing some rows of seats to widen the front isle and removing additional seats in four spots, Dunn said the bleachers will be more accessible for people with limited mobility.
Dunn told the school board that the accessibility part of the project will cause the removal of 200 seats. The original proposal said there will be the space to accommodate between nine and 12 wheelchairs.
When it comes to changes to the press box, it will be expanded from the current one story to two. It will expand to include three media areas, a P.A. area and a hospitality section on the first floor. The second floor will have an area for the superintendent, one for visiting coaches, one for home coaches, an area for scouts and a larger area with a balcony for a film area. It will also include two stairwells.
Part of the conversation about renovating the press box came up after the 2017 Murphy USA Classic and concerns that the current box isn’t equipped for larger events.
“It’s insufficient for high school, let alone the Murphy USA Classic,” said state Rep. Matthew Shepherd, R-El Dorado, at the August El Dorado Works Board meeting.
Dunn said the press box alterations will result in a loss of 108 seats with diminished visibility for an additional 58.
The school board didn’t express concerns about the seating reduction, saying that there’s usually still some empty seats for big events such as graduation.
The current schedule has the project going out for bid at the end of the month, Dec. 18 as the bid date, construction beginning on Jan. 3 and concluding on May 31.