DALLAS — Allen Independent School District has closed its 2-year-old, $60 million Allen Eagle Stadium after discovering cracks in the concrete concourse, officials said. The stadium gained national attention when voters in the affluent district north of Dallas approved bonds to build it.
The costly stadium was seen as a symbol of a Texas zeal for football not necessarily matched by an interest in classroom learning.
Daily class activities were relocated from the facility beginning Feb. 27, and the stadium will not be available for public use during the closure, officials said. Parents were notified of the development in a district-wide message, and district officials made phone calls to some community leaders and announced the decision to media at a news conference.
School Board president Louise Master said district officials decided to reassign school classes to other school facilities during the continued inspection out of an abundance of caution.
"Our number one priority must always be the safety of our students, staff and community," Master said. "We do not have information at this point that confirms any areas outside of the concourse could be affected, but the most prudent thing to do, to absolutely assure the safety of students, staff and the community is to keep the facility closed during this review."
The 18,000-seat stadium, financed as part of a $119 million bond issue approved by voters in 2009 with a 63% majority vote, opened in August 2012.
District officials ordered an engineering investigation of the cracking in the concourse level and other potential problems in the structure. Nelson Forensics, a national engineering and consulting firm, has confirmed pervasive cracking in the concrete of the elevated concourse.
The designer of the stadium, PBK Architects, and the builder, Pogue Construction, have been notified and are in discussion with district officials about the issues.
"This is a significant investment for our community," Interim Superintendent Beth Nicholas said. "We are very disappointed and upset that these problems have arisen. It is unacceptable. Our students, families, and the entire community have always supported the district and our commitment to them is to make sure this issue is appropriately resolved."
District officials expect the facility to remain closed until at least June while the full evaluation continues. In addition to the immediate effect on physical education and other classes, the temporary closure will impact high school graduation ceremonies June 6.
Repairs could be extensive and take months to complete. District officials said they will have a clearer picture of the extent of the damage by June as the examination continues. Home games of the Allen Eagles next fall will likely be affected.
The same architect and building contractor are working on construction of the school district's $36 million service center, which is just underway. That facility will house Allen ISD's transportation, facilities maintenance, food service and other operations. District officials said an independent review of that project is underway and any potential issues can be identified and addressed if necessary.
A new permanent superintendent, Lawrence Hindt, will take the helm of the district next month.
