These Bucks County schools are in the game with million-dollar stadium projects

Whether it's a big game under the Friday night lights for football or an afternoon field hockey game against a big rival on a turf field, Bucks County's student athletes spend a ton of time on their school campuses perfecting their game.

And throughout the county, these spaces have been getting major upgrades and overhauls this year.

Spurred by the need to address aging or absent infrastructure and drawing on district funds, alumni donations, and bond issues, districts and schools hope the investments benefit not just students, but prove to be a boost for communities as a whole.

Playing under the lights at CB East

At Central Bucks East High School in Doylestown this past August, students were able to play on their own field under a new set of lights for the first time in the school's existence.

"It's very exciting, for all our players and teams," said Ryan Kelly, athletic director at CB East. "We've had an amazing energy this year."

After a lengthy process, the Patriots football stadium first opened in 2014 without lights, largely due to concerns from neighbors. This meant that athletes couldn't play or practice at night, something Kelly felt affected player morale.

"Before we had a stadium, you never felt like a home team ... After we got a stadium, and now lights, it felt like you could defend your own turf," he said.

CB East's project is far from the only major high school upgrade in Bucks County this year. At least four others are working on or have completed multi-million-dollar projects for their athletics programs.

More:Let there be lights: Central Bucks East stadium to shine at night

Turf fields at CEC

In Lower Bucks, Conwell-Egan Catholic High School has nearly completed a multi-use field with an estimated price tag of $2.5 million.

“We were in desperate need of a new field,” said athletic director and alumni Pat Donlen. "Before, on a rainy day, we wouldn’t have been able to play, there would have been standing water on the field.”

The new field, with better drainage and a unique setup with a turf softball diamond that will use the football field as an outfield, is expected to be completed by January. Like CB East, the private Catholic school in Fairless Hills has installed its first set of stadium lights, although Donlen reported that there was no pushback from its neighbors.

The school had a low of 560 students just a few years ago, but is now up to 600, and on track for a target of 700 in the next several years. Donlen partly attributes the uptick to the new athletic projects, which he has managed.

"All you see here," he said, gesturing to the construction, "is why people are coming." He added that improvements to the academic facilities are also drawing more parents to the school.

The funding was drawn from a single anonymous $5 million alumni donation. The rest of the funds went towards a new auditorium and academic upgrades. The school now has two turf fields on its Wistar Road campus.

Pennsbury stadium overhaul

Among the recent athletic upgrades, Pennsbury School District’s project is estimated to be among the most expensive, clocking in at $4.2 million to replace the bleachers and press box at Falcon Field on the high school campus in Falls Township. The cost was funded by bond issues, according to a representative from the school.

Concerns about surface rust at the aging stadium jumpstarted Pennsbury’s bleacher improvements, which are the first phase of a larger plan. According to Jennifer Neill, Pennsbury spokeswoman, future work "includes replacing the grass field with synthetic turf and the installation of a new 8-lane track, field house, concessions, and team rooms."

While the press box and the home field bleachers were finished in time for Pennsbury football to play in the new space for the first time Oct. 21, the other improvements will wait for at least spring. The bids had yet to go out last month.

New Hope-Solebury has big plans for stadium re-do

Twenty miles north of Falcon Field, work is underway on a stadium that will just barely surpass Pennsbury’s price tag and will be paid for through school district funds as well as voluntary donations.

Although there had been discussions of improving its field and track since the early 2000s, New Hope-Solebury School District began official plans for renovating its existing track in 2019, when the surface began to crack. Experts informed the school that the track could only be fixed by removing and replacing it, according to Stephanie Yoder, a representative for the district.

The district then approved a 10-year capital plan, allocating $1.5 million from school funds for a new track and turf field that was completed in Oct. 2021. Another $1.2 million was pegged for stadium improvements, including a press box, lights, and fully accessible restrooms that will be built around the track.

“The stadium project represents phase two of our district’s investment in our athletics facilities," said Superintendent Dr. Charles Lentz in a press release Thursday, recalling the initial need to fix the aging track and field. "Once these basic needs were met, we were hopeful we could realize a stadium vision twenty years in the making for our school community by bringing in philanthropic contributions. It has been very heartening to see the community respond to that need.”

The district has raised a further $1 million from donors for what will be first stadium complex in the school’s history, with $500,000 still needed to begin construction, for a total of $4.3 million in projects. The stadium will be named in honor of Carl Asplundh Jr., whose donation jumpstarted the construction.

The most recent donation came from the First National Bank and Trust Company, which gave $25,000 to the project at the Lion's last football game of the season. “Ever since we opened our branch office twenty-three years ago," said bank CEO and President Joseph Schofield, who presented the check, "the community of New Hope-Solebury has been so supportive of our bank, and we feel very fortunate to have the opportunity to give back to the community. The new stadium will be a great addition to a wonderful school district and an asset to the students.”

Yoder said that New Hope-Solebury believes that the stadium complex will begin construction in June of 2023.

An investment in communities

While each of these projects is first and foremost for the student athletes, district officials believe they can benefit the community as well.

"We will continue to make the stadium, and all of our facilities, available for community organizations to reserve and utilize as appropriate," said Yoder, when discussing New Hope-Solebury's project, "and with consideration that our students remain the priority."

To Kelly, the benefits of his district's new stadium lights is even greater for parents and community members than for the athletes.

"For our athletes, once that whistle blows, it's just another game for them," said Kelly, "and they are motivated, driven, and they'll play wherever. I think the community members have the experiences and benefit most fully."

This article originally appeared on Bucks County Courier Times: Bucks County schools spend millions on sports facilities