FULL REPORT OF DESIGN AND ENGINEERING FLAWS AT ALLEN STADIUM:

 

News Release

Thursday June 19, 2014

From Tim Carroll, Public Information Officer

tim_carroll@allenisd.org

972-727-0510

Repair Schedule for Allen Eagle Stadium Taking Shape

Final Engineering Report Reveals Structural Deficiencies

Allen ISD has authorized its consulting engineers to begin working on a plan to repair Eagle Stadium with a goal that it can re-open for graduation next year. Superintendent of Schools, Lance Hindt [graduate of a Katy ISD high school,] announced today. The announcement comes after engineers provided a detailed presentation to school board members on Monday night that reported additional shortcomings in the structural design of the stadium that extend beyond significant cracking on the concourse level.

Monday's meeting was in closed session as the board met with its lawyer to discuss the legal implications of the report. Work crews could begin repairs in late July, Hindt said starting with some of the smaller design defects. "As the full scope of the project emerges, we are now able to develop a repair plan that will address design flaws and have the stadium back in operation by next June," said Nelson Forensics, [as] the engineering firm the district hired last year to investigate cracking on the concourse of the 18,000 seat stadium that opened in 2012, completed its analysis of the entire stadium and found structural design shortcomings in seven major areas: retaining walls, concourse framing, press box columns, press box structure, single-story structures, main scoreboard and durability of the structure. The engineers found no problems in the concrete seating, the concrete pier foundations that support the above-ground structure, and on the small scoreboard on the north side. The stadium was designed by PBK Architects, Inc., and built by Pogue Construction.

"These are primarily engineering failures," said Ryan T. Chancey, a structural engineer and executive director of operations at Nelson Forensics. "While the concourse is the largest and most serious area, we did find failures in the structural design throughout the stadium." The deficiencies may not be visible, but their design does not meet building codes, particularly in high winds for the press box and scoreboard, and they must be fixed," Chancey said.

Examples of the structural deficiencies uncovered beyond the concourse are:

*inadequate concrete columns that support the press box;

*insufficient steel framing of the press box;

*connections at the base of the main scoreboard are not strong enough;

* and a retaining wall does not have adequate steel reinforcement.

Hindt said the district will insist that PBK and Pogue pay for the repairs. Both firms have said they will stand behind their work, but no agreement has been reached over how much each company should pay, Hindt said. The cost of repairs is still being developed by Nelson and a second firm, Daturn Engineering, which is developing the repair and strengthening plan. The district and its consulting engineers are in regular discussion with engineers hired by both PBK and Pogue.

The repair work will be broken into segments so construction can begin as the design for each segment is completed. The stadium has been closed since Feb. 27 after an initial structural analysis revealed design and construction deficiencies that were causing cracking on the concourse.

The district announced last month the stadium would remain closed until repairs are completed and relocated home football games to neighboring Plano.

School district officials noticed the cracking near the time the stadium opened in September 2012m but were assured it was normal as concrete shrinks when it dries. When the crack became more pervasive and grew in width, the district hired Nelson Forensics to investigate. The report summary is available at http://bit.ly//AllenStadiumPP

It is also linked to the Allen Stadium Information Page at http://www.allenisd.org/Page/382