Panther Stadium seating delayed
by John Earp
Construction updates. Board expects Norcon Industries to explain the inexcusable delay in producing new seating for Panther Stadium.
At the July 15th meeting of the Jal Board of Education, construction delays were a topic of particular concern. The district has several current construction projects underway, with the most pressing concern presently being the completion of the new stadium seating.
The stadium is being worked on seven days a week, but the supplier (Norcon Industries, Inc.) dropped the ball on getting the seats delivered. The representative present in the meeting from Lasco Construction said that the supplier “dropped the ball” on getting the seats delivered, and that they now expected delivery on October 4th, even though they were ordered back in January. R.J. Lopez, representing the architectural firm, Parkhill, said his firm had been talking with the state activities association (NMAA) about what would be allowed as far as having fans sit on the concrete slabs until the seats arrived and were installed, so long as the rails and ramps were in place. He said he believed it would be acceptable with the NMAA. Principal Buddy Little interjected that the district would not charge admission for those games. Mr. Snider said that Lasco Construction had agreed to purchase stadium seat cushions for the fans’ use.
Lopez said they had discussed obtaining some additional stands for the visitors’ side of the stadium, which could also be used by Panther fans, adding that it “sounds like maybe by the last game everything can be completely installed and ready to be used, seats and everything, so for the Eunice game, you could have the largest attendance and a new stadium. Sounds like the screen is possibly going to be ready by the first football game. It will just be working. The press box is not going to be complete. It’s going to be trying to figure out how we work the new screen without the new press box, and so there are some things that are still being worked out.” The old press box had originally been intended for reuse, but taking it down with the old stadium, it turned out that the integrity of the steel of the old press box had been compromised in the process, and it would not be reusable.
Board President Jim Gooss asked if there was any possibility of getting someone from Norcon to come to the next board meeting and explain the issue. The representative from Lasco named John said he had worked with Norcon before and had never had such a problem. Gooss wanted to know why Norcon had failed to deliver the seating in a timely fashion. All the board members present expressed agreement with Gooss’ interest in hearing from Norcon about the holdup on the seating. Superintendent Brian Snider commented about Norcon, “We should’ve canceled their contract a long time ago.”
The new entryway for the administration building is being constructed. The varsity locker room carpet is ready to be delivered, and should be a quick job. The elevator on the new elementary addition is almost done. Once it is done, the workers will be able to finish some of the steel going around the elevator shaft. The ground where the junior high addition will be constructed is finally leveled off, after having to be shored up due to an expected amount of lose sand below the old parking lot that was demolished to make way for the junior high addition. The construction of the addition is now awaiting rebar to arrive.
The new bus barn and the nearby storage construction is still in the design phase, and is projected to be completed in December 2025. The alleyways on either side of the planned indoor athletic complex will require possible replacement of some of the gas and sewer lines in them. Parkhill is working with Stantec and the City to make sure all improvements down the drainage alley meet the City’s specifications. The indoor athletic facility is presently out for bid, according to Lopez. He expects to begin to receive bids in September on that project. The most recent estimate for that project is about $28 million, including the alleyways as well as raising the building up for drainage.
The auditorium still has a few items that need to be replaced, but is 99% complete. The softball parking lot needs landscaping, but the parking lot is usable and 99% complete, according to Lopez. The concession stand will be finished at the latest by December, but hopefully will be fully usable by the Eunice game in October. The security vestibule into the administration building is just beginning to be worked on. The baseball restroom addition is hoped to be finished in December, but might have to be pushed out later based on a buried line that was found in the process. The elementary addition and junior high addition are projected to be completed by June 1, 2025. The indoor athletic facility is projected to be completed in July of 2026.
The new concession stand, with the new restroom facilities, should be finished by the time football season starts, quadrupling the bathroom facilities for football games. A 40-foot Jumbotron screen/scoreboard will be installed once the bricks and columns are in place, with all being slated to be completed by the beginning of the football season.
Artificial turf landscaping is planned for the softball parking lot, totaling about 5000 square feet of turf, in line with the overall plan of minimizing the need for watering and mowing on campus in the future. Demolition of the house on Chester St. just south of the planned indoor athletic field has recently been completed, which will serve as a parking lot for the new indoor athletic field. Parkhill plans to “clean up” the parking area between Panther Gym and Panther Stadium, with parking being eliminated directly in front of the stadium as well as improved storm drainage being directed down the alley. The entryway into the stadium will be constructed between the stadium and the gymnasium.
The junior high courtyard and vocational education improvements, including a covered basketball/pickleball court, greenhouse, artificial turf, pavers, concrete and a new outdoor eating area, are estimated to run $4 million, pending Lasco pricing. The elementary school playground improvements are estimated to cost $1.5 million, pending design. The auditorium steps replacement and rework grading is estimated to cost $500,000 pending design. A new storage building and parking across from the administration office is estimated to cost $1.5 million.