New renderings of the proposed Marysville stadium renovation project were displayed at an event at the high school fieldhouse Tuesday night. Pictured above is a rendering of the high school stadium created by MSA Sports which shows expanded student seating behind the north end zone and the scoreboard being moved to the south end of the field.
(Image submitted)
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Interested citizens and potential donors came together Tuesday night at the Marysville High School Fieldhouse to view the latest version of a proposed stadium project.
The $8.9 million plan will renovate the existing high school football stadium, build an adjoining track facility and create a football/track facility at Bunsold Middle School. The two football fields, which could also accommodate soccer, lacrosse and many other uses, would feature artificial turf.
The new plans for the facility are presented by MSA Sports, a firm that has extensive experience designing high school, college and professional sports venues.
While the overall footprint of the facilities remains the same as preliminary designs, there are some notable changes.
The first change involves expanding a set of bleachers behind the north end zone of high school field, meant for Marysville band and student seating. Bill Baker of MSA said the idea of the changes is to enclose the field on three sides, enhancing the atmosphere and creating a true home-field advantage.
This change would also mean the scoreboard, which has always stood behind the north end zone, would be moved to the south end zone.
Other changes include moving the donor wall and scrapping an idea to locate concessions under the home stands.
The space under the bleachers will now be used as a “breezeway” and area for secured outdoor storage. An enhanced entryway with concession will be created in the northwest portion of the stadium.
The donor wall, to recognize those involved in the project, was to have been located inside the facility, but will now be placed outside along the main walkup area to the southern entrance.
Marysville Treasurer Todd Johnson explained that the district currently has $4.5 million in permanent improvement money set aside for the project. Permanent improvement money can only be spent on long-term facility related improvements and can not be used for district operational expenses, such as salaries. The money is generated from special tax districts that have been created within the district, in areas such as Coleman’s Crossing, which pump money into the permanent improvement coffers.
The remaining $4.4 million will be generated through a fundraising campaign targeting businesses and individual donors. Naming rights for everything from the stadiums to the concession stands can be secured for 10-year terms.
After the meeting, superintendent Diane Mankins said the duration of the fundraising campaign remains up in the air. She said essentially the district will continue to raise money until the project could be completed.
In the meeting, it was noted that Advancement Partners has been secured to assist the district in its fundraising. Mankins said the firm, which is being paid $63,000, will help the district identify and secure contributions from large donors.
Mankins admitted it is probably ambitious to believe that the fundraising could be met in less than a year.
Because half of the project funding remains up in the air, Mankins said the timeline for the project is difficult to set.
She did confirm that the first portion of the project to be completed would likely be the track surface at Bunsold Middle School. Because the facility at Bunsold is located on open ground, that work could be completed without disrupting any sports seasons.
Once that track facility is completed, it would create a surface for the high school track teams to use in the spring so crews would have a longer construction window at the high school facilities.