Springdale's Bulldog Stadium Up For Renovation

SPRINGDALE -- Renovations approved Tuesday night mean adding new home-side bleachers as part of a renovation to Jarrell Williams Bulldog Stadium.

The Springdale School Board approved a $3,623,893 price with an additional $649,500 for bleachers during its Tuesday meeting. The approved price doesn't include architect fees.

The west, or home side, of the stadium will be the focus of the construction project. Administrators said improvements are planned for the visitors side, but those will be phased in later.

"It's been our intent the whole time to have the visitors side pretty much intact," said Jim Rollins, superintendent.

"We know there's work that has to take place on the visitors side," he said.

Changes on the east side of the stadium include some drainage improvement, visitors changing rooms and storage, said Gary Compton, assistant superintendent for support services. Those changes will be tackled by district maintenance employees.

"The west side will look virtually identical to Har-Ber," Compton said.

The home side will seat about 3,600 once complete, Compton said.

Demolition started a couple weeks ago when workers removed two sections of overflow seats near the stadium's north end, Compton said. A Quonset-style hut on the far end of the property has been fenced off and is ready for demolition. The tractors stored in it were moved.

The newly constructed seats and press box on the west side will offer a better view from Pleasant Street and Center Avenue, said Wayne Stehlik, athletic director. A large bulldog -- maybe 10 feet tall -- in cardinal and white will be on the side of the press box.

"That is a landmark," Stehlik said.

The current press box was state-of-the-art when it was built. Stehlik estimates it was built in 1970 or 1971 based on pictures of coaches in front of the stadium.

The new bleachers will have chair backs and make for a better game experience, Stehlik said. A renovated stadium will add to students' passion for sports, he said.

Concessions and restrooms will not be changed. The visitors side press box will be removed and visiting coaches and media will be in the home side box.

"We're starting from scratch on the home side," Stehlik said.

Construction should be finished Aug. 1, Compton said. Soccer teams will play in the stadium this spring, Stehlik said. It will be ready for football by fall, he said.

"September 2015 we'll be playing a game in there," Stehlik said.

The stadium at Har-Ber High School was finished by the time the season started, but the exterior was rough, Compton said. It was missing the "lipstick" of fencing and landscaping, he said. The visitors locker room was also not finished when the season began.

The first two football games for Springdale High School will be on the road next year, adding a little cushion to the construction time, Compton said.

The construction isn't a concern. Compton's concern with the time line is what crews find after tearing out the bleachers and concrete on the west side of the stadium. Administrators believe all utilities are marked, but gas, electric, sewer and even data lines run under the building, he said.

There is an Aug. 1 completion date, he said.

"Time is always going to be a factor," Rollins told the school board.