ALLEN STADIUM, DESIGNED BY PBK, CLOSED FOR SEASON! 

 

 

http://www.chron.com/news/texas/article/60M-Texas-high-school-stadium-closed-by-cracks-5491466.php

 

For an article from Dallas go to:  http://www.dallasnews.com/news/community-news/allen/headlines/20140313-builder-says-allen-isd-taxpayers-wont-get-stadium-repair-bill.ece  And don't miss the comments!

 

$60M Texas high school stadium closed by cracks

 

| May 20, 2014 | Updated: May 20, 2014 3:36pm

 

ALLEN, Texas (AP) — A $60 million high school football stadium that opened to massive fanfare in 2012 will be shut down for the upcoming season after cracks were found in the building's concrete concourse.

 

Administrators in Allen, Texas, northeast of Dallas, had hoped to have Eagle Stadium ready for this fall's games, but said further inspections found the structural problems will need significant repair. They insist the architectural firm and construction company will fund any repairs.

 

The district said Tuesday that both companies had offered $1 million each to allow repairs to begin, but that their insurance companies refused to make the payments.

 

"Our commitment to Allen students and taxpayers remains firm that the stadium be repaired properly at the expense of those responsible for the failure: the architect and the builder," superintendent Lance Hindt said in a statement.

 

Allen taxpayers approved a $119 million bond issue that included funding for the 18,000-seat stadium, with a high-definition video board, a second deck on one sideline and vendor stands hawking Chick-fil-A and Texas barbeque.

 

The facility is the flashiest example of the grandeur of high school football in Texas, where the "Friday Night Lights" have been glamorized in books, movies and television.

But the district had to close the stadium in February after extensive cracks were discovered in the concourse. An outside consulting firm hired by the district has found further building code violations, including parts of the stadium where seating capacity exceeds the legal maximum by more than 70 percent.

 

Allen, which won the Class 5A Division I state championship last year, will not sell football season tickets this year. It will host three "home" games at two stadiums in neighboring Plano and switch two other home games to road games.

 

Comments 102

　

Here are some I cherry picked:

 

whirlwind Guest

Rank 2306

The Architect and the General Contractors are responsible. Was there NOTHING in the architects drawings about Testing the concrete? aggregate testing? mix design testing, slump testing? fairly standing testing from an independent lab especially in a 60 million dollar project. I bet they are thinking about just using some epoxy to fix it. IF i was the City of Allen. I would have them rip out the slab and re-pour. its going to cost way more then 2 million dollars.

 

RDRoadrunner Guest

Rank 2911

@whirlwind And hopefully Katy ISD is taking good notes.

14 hours ago

1 Likes

toocan Guest

Rank 68

Republicans doing business with republicans. Take taxpayer money, give it to private business who hire illegal aliens and build substandard facility, leave the insurance company holding the bag. When the insurance company refuses to pay sue.

Then run on a tort reform and immigration crackdown platform

 

Jack_A_Lope Guest

Rank 44

@toocan I didn't realize ISD's are packed with Repubs.

 

jon_garcia Guest

Rank 2634

Gratz Allen, Texas. You are on the front page of ESPN.com. This is probably they only time you will ever be on this level of media exposure, I hope you're proud.

 

 

cxd1 Guest

Rank 30

Is it my eyes that the two firms were not named ? Guess its a promise not to publicly name them in exchange for fixing their foundation mess........ I don't know.

 

HyphenAmerican Guest

Rank 378

@cxd1

They've named them before. The Architect is PBK. I forgot who the GC was.

 

TexasForever1836 Guest

Rank 133

@HyphenAmerican

PBK kicked in $10,000 to CyFair ISD to ensure they would get the lion's share of action once the $1.2 BILLION dollar school bond issue passed.

Just another incestous relationship.

 

mikem13 Guest

Rank 240

I know about "Friday Night Lights" and all that, but $160m is more than a little outrageous for a high school venue.

 

Objective1 Guest

Rank 140

What the heck is going on in Dallas? This school has 6,000 students. This school is more than double the size of most schools participating in the UIL 6A category. That's CRAZY! How in the world can students participate in anything? If you want to play any sport you better be good enough to get a D1 scholarship or you won't even make the team. Seems to me they should have used that $60M to build another high school in the area so more kids could have more opportunities to take part in their favorite activities

 

Flag

Galois_Group Guest

Rank 7020

@Objective1 But that would threaten their ability to "win" state championships!

 

 

Mikee6696 Guest

Rank 54

Lets just keep spending millions on these stadiums that don't do a dang thing for education.

 

forevermom Guest

Rank 252

shoddy workmakship

 

JuicyLucy Guest

Rank 319

Were corners cut and the savings pocketed by those involved?

How about some good old fashion investigative reporting Chronicle, instead of endless slideshows of "Pot holes of Houston", or "Celebrities who look like their dogs".

 

 

DDH Guest

Rank 358

Tax dollars well spent. Use it on football palaces instead of education. Make sense. Watch Romans build Coliseums. Watch Coliseums fall. Watch Roman Empire fall.

 

GEvans Guest

Rank 6236

@jsfimho And I am one that believes a HS stadium at 60 million is outrageous and dumb. Politicians help to build these things and do all this in the name of their next vote. Everything they do is about not ticking off one group or another for the next election. Seriously, we need someone or people in general who are all about doing what is GOOD and RIGHT for the common good of all people and our country or we are doomed for destruction.

TheAllKnowningOne Guest

Rank 1046

Absolutely comical. What a complete joke of a school district. Waste 60 million on a non essential stadium and screw it up. Can't make this stuff up. Only in Texas

 

Lowrider Guest

Rank 2108

Public corruption at its best. The school board needs to be investigated. I assure you there was some sort of malfeasance to approve such an unnecessary HIGH SCHOOL stadium.

 

datdamdj Guest

Rank 2825

I'm guessing they spent more on the scoreboard than they did on the concrete. High School Stadiums don't need the "El Grande" of scoreboards. All it needs is a timer, score, down and yards to go.

 

hdmanv88 Guest

Rank 2157

Does this country have it's priorities right or what, we have the best politicians money can buy.

 

Compatriot Guest

Rank 5649

Wonder which school board member's cousin was the contractor?...

 

freedomofspeech51 Guest

Rank 331

What a horrible waste of money; all of that for a SPORT instead of an education.

 

Capt_Jack-Sparrow Guest

Rank 134

From the "envy of the high school sports world" to the biggest bust since "no pass, no play".

 

BigBannedJohn Guest

Rank 513

By the time this one gets settled in the courts the stadium will be rotting from old age.

 

defman Guest

Rank 626

Cracks in the concourse. I bet, had they investigated more closely, they would have found cracks in the heads of whoever thought it was a good idea to spend $60 million dollars on a high school football stadium.

 

carlogo Guest

Rank 293

What a colossal waste of money. The district could have paid for the college tuition of all its graduates for a decade for $60M.

 

marymcgarr Guest

Rank 5574

PBK is already well known for having problems in our state. Google "PBK Corpus Christi ISD" and see what you find. Look at my web site www.marymcgarr.com and read about Katy ISD where PBK has been the architect for every high school and junior high and most other major structures since 2001. This firm has a lock on school design. They take 6% off the top of every building they design.

 

defman Guest

Rank 626

Cracks in the concourse. I bet, had they investigated more closely, they would have found cracks in the heads of whoever thought it was a good idea to spend $60 million dollars on a high school football stadium.

 

Rebel1862 Guest

Rank 2133

@defman

Exactly!

Katy ISD...you paying attention?

 

NatTxn Guest

Rank 324

@Rebel1862

I'm sure they are, do you live in KISD? If so then you have one vote just like everyone else IN KISD.

 

Rebel1862 Guest

Rank 2133

@NatTxn

There might be 1 or 2 other things that the money could be spent on besides a football palace. And I love high school football...just worries me that priorities may be upside down.

 

AvgJoeII Guest

Rank 778

@defman

The voters in Allen thought it was a good idea.

 

westsidebilltx Guest

Rank 104

@AvgJoeII They've been proven wrong - as will KISD voters if they end up approving the next one-bond-fits-all proposal in the fall that includes that same stupid palace they tried last fall.