The reconstruction of the bleachers on Coach Parks Field experienced a series of delays. What began as a long-awaited improvement to M-A’s athletic facilities developed into student rumors, speculating that seniors’ graduation could be moved. However, according to Principal Losekoot, graduation will continue as planned.
For more than 10 years, Athletic Director Paul Snow has advocated for the renovation and construction of new bleachers on Coach Parks Field, largely due to safety reasons.
Originally, the demolition of the existing bleachers was scheduled to start the Monday after the class of ’26 graduation. That timeline was pushed back. Construction didn’t actually begin until mid-August.
The construction pushback was impacted by various factors. Assistant Vice Principal Tina Smith, who oversees athletics, transportation, and facilities, said that the primary cause of the shift in the start date was the delay in receiving shipping containers. “We couldn’t tear anything down until we had a place to store all of our stuff,” she said.
“There was a bunch of storage, golf carts, equipment, track stuff, hurdles, all kinds of stuff under there,” Snow said. “The [shipping] containers didn’t show up until almost school started.”
Loosekoot confirmed that graduation will be hosted on campus. “It’s scheduled to be completed on time in January,” he said. “There were hopes it would be done earlier, but it was always scheduled to be done in January.”
In the meantime, M-A will still be able to host some small-scale athletic events. “We won’t have home stands, of course, so we can’t do big football games. But we can have freshman [football] and soccer games. We can have everybody sit on the visitor side. Same with lacrosse soon,” Snow said.
Although the demolition stage of the bleachers construction is complete, the site has not been completely cleared to continue the project.
In an interview with the M-A Chronicle last February, Athletic Director Paul Snow said he hoped the new bleachers would be completed in time for football games at M-A this school year if everything went perfectly. “[The bleachers are] supposed to be done late fall season, so we might even have some of next year’s late football games there, but that’s really if everything goes perfectly,” he said.
In an all-staff email on Sept. 2, Losekoot said the earliest the bleachers could reopen is Jan. 28.
The weather could further complicate this timeline. The construction crew is currently compacting the soil in preparation for laying the concrete foundation. Once poured, the concrete will need to be tested and cured for 30-40 days. Rain can delay soil compaction and concrete pouring, potentially pushing back the completion date even further. As the wetter winter months approach, the likelihood of rain-related delays increases.
Simultaneously, the aluminum bleacher pieces are being manufactured and painted in Texas.
Snow verified construction is still on track to be completed before graduation. “ I think we’re probably close to two months behind schedule right now, but they still plan to be done well before graduation,” he said. “Construction and delays go hand in hand. So, two months in the grand scale of things isn’t that bad, especially if they’re still going to have it ready for graduation. That was always the goal, the mandate,” Snow said.
The project is also more expensive than Snow initially expected. When he first began advocating for this project nearly a decade ago, the received estimate was $1.5 million. The current project, which includes bleachers expanded by a third and a press box, is now expected to cost $4.4 million.
Despite the delays and increased cost, Snow is excited about the improvements the new facility will bring. “Just having the 21st-century infrastructure in place: more outlets, actual internet. It’s going to be a high-tech facility. It’s going to have a crow’s nest on top that you can do filming from two cameras. Actually, we’re adding a third camera for the end zone. The functionality, the more seating, the infrastructure being upgraded, is all very exciting,” he said.
Football will benefit the most from this upgrade. “They’re going to get the most bang out of it from the extended capacity of seating, and then just kind of the vantage point of having an actual press box. There’s not a lot of other sports that we do play-by-play calling for,” Snow said.
