Archive for Sunday, May 11, 2008
District explores stadium options
May 11, 2008
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It appears that the Lawrence School District is close to reaching a solution on how it will move forward in the ongoing stadium saga that has been the talk of the town for months.
Whether that solution will have an immediate impact on the local high school sports scene remains to be seen.
Thursday, district administrators released the specifics on a project that would include installing lights, 4,000-seat bleachers, artificial turf and restrooms at the track facilities at Free State and Lawrence high schools.
The new venues, officials said, could be ready by the fall.
On Friday, the varsity football coaches at both schools offered their thoughts about the proposal.
“I know our district administrators are working extremely hard,” Free State coach Bob Lisher said. “And I know they’re doing their very best to find a solution. We’ve shuffled our kids around between Haskell and KU, and it would be nice to finally have a place of our own.”
Lawrence High coach Dirk Wedd said he believed the primary goal was to find the best solution for the city as a whole.
“We’re kind of treading water,” Wedd said. “And we’ve been treading water for a few years. I appreciate that the district is stepping up and trying to get something done. The relationship we have with Haskell is very good, but the bigger picture is what’s best for kids and the city.”
Both Lisher and Wedd said they thought the latest proposal put them closer to resolution than ever before.
The School Board will consider options for improving high school athletic facilities without a tax increase or bond issue at its 7 p.m. Monday meeting.
The options include continuing to rent Haskell Stadium at a cost of $5,000 per game, or adding new, smaller stadiums at each high school campus. District officials said the smaller stadiums could be used to bridge the gap until a district facility, similar to those found in Olathe or Topeka’s Hummer Sports Park, could be built.
The chief concern about joining the masses, however, is that Lawrence’s athletic teams would lose the unique feel of Haskell Stadium and would essentially be playing in a cookie-cutter venue.
That doesn’t have to be the case, according to Lisher and Wedd.
“I hear people talk about sterile stadiums,” Lisher said. “But I look at Hummer Sports Park or the stadium at Shawnee Mission North or what they have in Olathe and I see beautiful stadiums.”
Wedd agreed, and said building something new did not have to spell the end of Lawrence being unique.
“If they tell me to play in a parking lot, I’ll play in a parking lot,“ Wedd said. “But I don’t think the city of Lawrence accepts average. The city doesn’t want Free State or Lawrence High to be average. Building something special is going to take some thought and some creativity, but there are people out there who are interested in doing it.”
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11 May 2008 at 5:54 p.m.
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Multidisciplinary (Anonymous) says…
Cool is absolutely right on the flooding problems, they have been around, unaddressed in this neighborhood for ages.
And hey, I think children on 21st in that area are worth only 15 pts, the visibility is so bad, so they are probably safe.
OK, before everyone gets after me, you remember the jokingly said, “Hey look, such and such, 25 pts!” when you were at LHS! One student in a whole parking lot being harder to hit, and worth more points than someone walking out between parked cars on a tight street, those were too easy.
11 May 2008 at 8:35 p.m.
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been_there (Anonymous) says…
I can't help but think about some poor guy needing to get up a say 3 or 4 in the morning to go to work on the morning following the game and can't get any sleep because of the loudspeaker and yelling. When he moved there or bought his house, there was no games a few feet from his house. I can hear the loudspeakers at Haskell from my house behind Hobby Lobby.
11 May 2008 at 8:40 p.m.
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been_there (Anonymous) says…
Won't this increase the number of accidents at 19th and Louisianna? Then the city will try to revive the plans for a roundabout. I don't think it is fair to put something like this in an existing neighborhood that already has to deal daily with high school students. It won't be as much of a problem at Freestate since I assume it has more parking. Where are the 40,000 people going to park?
11 May 2008 at 8:43 p.m.
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Multidisciplinary (Anonymous) says…
People around LHS have had to put up with marching band at 6:30 or 7 am forever. I don't know about Free State.
11 May 2008 at 8:56 p.m.
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beobachter (Anonymous) says…
been_there,
When have there ever been 40,000 people at a LHS game, anywhere?
11 May 2008 at 9:01 p.m.
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been_there (Anonymous) says…
Sorry, misread the number, my deepest apology. That's a relief, I wonder how many do attend?
11 May 2008 at 9:11 p.m.
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been_there (Anonymous) says…
I never heard the loudspeakers at Haskell till a couple of years ago. Now I hear them all the time. Why are they so much louder? Thus my concern for residents living next to LHS. The practices for the marching band don't last that long and music is easier to listen to. Used to live in that area a few years ago and don't remember it continueing once school started, seemed to only go on for a month. Of course if there is a real parking problem, maybe charging $10 to$15 for parking in their driveway, might make them feel better.
11 May 2008 at 9:20 p.m.
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been_there (Anonymous) says…
Remember the lady that lived near the LHS and vigilently watched for people that might accidently step in her yard and then she would yell at them? Happened to me once, I believe she kept her car covered with plastic claiming the extra traffic from the students got dust on her car. Kind of felt sorry for her.
11 May 2008 at 11:28 p.m.
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Multidisciplinary (Anonymous) says…
been_there (Anonymous) says…
Sorry, misread the number, my deepest apology. That's a relief, I wonder how many do attend?
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I don't know what the record is, but I do know this.
The minute I saw this article, my old seat instantly remembered the feeling of sitting on the rows at Haskell Stadium 30 plus years ago. Cold, hard and numbing! Makes a person fidgety, especially the front edge.