I can vouch for this, working for the state. There's no one big pool of cash- there are thousands of small ones. And the people who control those pools take it very seriously. It's crazy and inefficient, but politics get in the way.
The article says the finance is city bonds. So the building cost is paid for. Yeah, there definitely is a concern if the city is in defunct and the stadium couldn't sustain itself. At that point, this thing is going to be taxpayers problem.
Whoops. Concrete 'cracking' found in stadium ALLEN, Texas -- A $60 million Texas high school stadium that got national attention for its grandeur and price tag will be shut down indefinitely 18 months after its opening, school district officials said Thursday. Eagle Stadium in the Dallas suburb of Allen will be closed until at least June for an examination of "extensive cracking" in the concrete of the stadium's concourse, the district said in a statement Thursday. The closure will likely affect home games at the stadium this fall, the district said. Eagle Stadium, which seats 18,000 people and sports a 38-foot-wide video board, will be closed indefinitely due to extensive cracking in Allen, Texas. Ben Pogue of Pogue Construction, which built the stadium, told reporters that the cracks range from a quarter-inch to three-quarters of an inch wide. "There are concerns surrounding the stadium, but we have been -- for a long time -- part of the solution," Pogue said, according to the Dallas Morning News. "I'm optimistic that we're going to have a quick resolve to this that will not affect the football season that's coming up." Built in 2012 as part of a $120 million bond issue, Eagle Stadium seats 18,000 people and sports a 38-foot-wide video board. Eagle Stadium's opening was a moment of triumph for the community of Allen, a fast-growing Dallas suburb that has become home to a high school football powerhouse. The Eagles won the Class 5A Division I state championship last year. District officials defended the cost -- an eye-popping figure even in football-mad Texas, home to hundreds of schools playing under the "Friday Night Lights" -- by calling the stadium an investment for generations of future Eagles fans and a much-needed upgrade from the district's previous 35-year-old field. They planned to host state playoff games and other events at Eagle Stadium. Instead, the district's graduation ceremonies and all other events are now on hold indefinitely. "This is a significant investment for our community. We are very disappointed and upset that these problems have arisen," interim superintendent Beth Nicholas said. "It is unacceptable. Our students, families, and the entire community have always supported the district and our commitment to them is to make sure this issue is appropriately resolved." Officials said an engineering firm has completed about 10 percent of its review of the stadium. It is expected to recommend "appropriate" repairs, the statement said. "Our No. 1 priority must always be the safety of our students, staff and community," Louise Master, Allen's ISD board president, said in a release. "We do not have information at this point that confirms any areas outside of the concourse could be affected, but the most prudent thing to do, to absolutely assure the safety of students, staff and the community, is to keep the facility closed during this review." PBK Architects, the Texas firm that designed the stadium, did not return a message seeking comment Thursday.
As a non-native Texan, I don't really fully understand the importance of high school football here, but the $60M price tag doesn't sound all that out of line to what is spent on football stadiums here in Texas. For example, a few years ago the Conroe ISD had Woodforest Stadium built for $49M. Beautiful stadium, and shared among the CISD schools. But it only seats 10,000. I imagine there are other large HS stadiums in Austin and the Dallas area (like Frisco or Plano). The funny thing, most of these schools stadiums are bigger and better than the stadium at Fresno State (Ratcliff Stadium) when I first went there.
My nephew (a huge sports fan) came in from Massachusetts last Thanksgiving. He said they usually have around 200 people at their High School Football games. I took him to see #2 DeSoto play #5 Coppell at Cowboy Stadium - there were about 16,000 people there. He was amazed at not only the fanfare, but the speed and skills of the players. You ought to check out one of the better playoff games - you might be a little more impressed. Also, keep in mind that Texas has a LOT of rural towns..and on Friday nights its the only thing to do in those places. Its a big social gathering for them. Shops, diners and businesses close so the owners and employees can be at the game.
There's nothing like Texas high school football. Not even in California or Florida. This is what we're known for.
Is Allen ISD a profit center for the school district? If so, no problem spending $120M on a stadium, if proceeds from tickets/concessions can be plowed back into the district.
Halfway through high school, I moved from the state to New York. Playing football was a bit of a disappointment after that. Honestly, I could have walked on to a DIII school in my area, had I wanted to. In Texas, I don't think I'd have had a shot.
No, Allen is the only High school, but its got something like 6,000 students. However, its more than just a stadium. Underneath the stadium are practice areas for the Wrestling team, Golf Practice area, weight room, and other non-sports related extracurricular activity areas. They also have a 600-700 member marching band that regularly use the stadium. Its the 5th largest HS stadium in Texas..but the largest for a single Home Team stadium. yes, most definitely. They sell out just about every game and can accommodate 18,000 people. Its important to note that was built with bond-money approved by the taxpayers in the area, not state or local education funds.
$60M Allen football stadium deemed 'not safe,' will close this season <p style=" margin: 12px auto 6px auto; font-family: Helvetica,Arial,Sans-serif; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; font-size: 14px; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; -x-system-font: none; display: block;"> <a title="View Illustration: Cracks in Allen Eagle Stadium concourse level on Scribd" href="http://www.scribd.com/doc/225272092" style="text-decoration: underline;" >Illustration: Cracks in Allen Eagle Stadium concourse level</a></p><iframe class="scribd_iframe_embed" src="//www.scribd.com/embeds/225272092/content?start_page=1&view_mode=scroll&show_recommendations=true" data-auto-height="false" data-aspect-ratio="undefined" scrolling="no" id="doc_77699" width="100%" height="600" frameborder="0"></iframe>
The difference is that stadium is shared. We have one in Katy ISD too called Rhodes Stadium. We also have a basketball / indoor multipurpose called the Leonard E. Merrell Center. The difference is those are shared stadiums. This $60 million stadium is for ONE school. I mean damn! That's a stadium for a small community college, not a high school! For comparison here is Katy ISD's shared stadium:
Katy ISD should be getting a $70M stadium in a few years if the bond passes. Katy has like seven high schools though, and soon eight and nine.
^^^ Gee, that is extravagant. Here's the stadium that Fresno State University used up until my senior year:
At least it doesn't have a sinkhole in the end zone like this one... <iframe width="416" height="234" src="http://www.cnn.com/video/api/embed.html#/video/us/2014/05/20/dnt-tn-football-stadium-sinkhole.wtvf" frameborder="0"></iframe>
