“The demolition will likely take place over a few days, but our community will see a significant impact after Monday morning,” said Gabe Lofton, Xenia superintendent. “This project has been a long time coming, and I know our student-athletes, coaches, and parents are as excited as I am to see it get under way.”
The Xenia school board approved an agreement to complete the first phase of improvement at the stadium.
The construction is expected to take place during the summer, and includes new stadium lighting, replacing the grandstands with accessible seating and increasing the amount of seating, and replacing the press box, according to Xenia schools documents.
The district said in a press release last December that the lighting and the center section of the home bleachers were installed in the mid-1950s, making them roughly 70 years old.
The current electric and lighting systems are unreliable, according to Xenia schools.
The renovation will include demolishing the current locker room facilities under the bleachers. Xenia schools said mobile units will be in place within two weeks for use, and the plan is to use them for just one year.
A second phase, set to begin in 2024, is meant to include a field house with new locker rooms, improved concessions, restrooms, additional parking, and more.
The Xenia high school stadium is used for football, soccer, lacrosse, track, and local youth leagues and club soccer teams. Xenia schools said between 2,500 and 3,000 people attended each of the home football games last fall. Hundreds of competitions take place at the stadium throughout the year.
The last time the facility was improved was in 2017, when the district replaced the track. In 2015, the district replaced turf field.
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