ALLEN, Texas (AP) — A North Texas school district said Thursday that its $60 million high school football stadium has design flaws throughout the facility, with problems in the concourse, press box and scoreboard.
Eagle Stadium, the palatial facility that opened two years ago, had to be closed earlier this year after officials discovered that extensive cracking in the concourse’s concrete was a sign of structural problems.
The school district released a summary of a forensics firm’s report Thursday. The firm found problems with the concourse, the structure and support columns of the press box, and the south scoreboard, which features a high-definition video board — one of the major amenities of the stadium.
Officials hope to have Eagle Stadium re-opened for Allen High School’s graduation in spring 2015. Its state champion football team has already moved its home games for 2014 to neighboring Plano.
The firm, Nelson Forensics, estimates in a summary of its findings that the stadium could be ready by May 2015 if construction begins this summer.
The 18,000-seat stadium features a second deck on one sideline and vendor stands hawking Chick-fil-A and Texas barbeque. The stadium has stood out for its features and glamour even in Texas, where high school football under the “Friday Night Lights” have been mythologized in print and television.
The district has insisted that the original architect and contractor pay for all repairs to the stadium.
“This district did everything it should have done with regards to this stadium,” Allen Superintendent Lance Hindt said Thursday, according to KXAS-TV. “This is not a black eye, I’ve said that from the beginning, for Allen ISD, nor a black eye for the city of Allen.”