'The end is in sight': new Southeast Polk schools stadium, softball fields nearly done

Chris Higgins, Des Moines Register
Updated ·3 min read

A new multipurpose stadium and a revamped softball field in the Southeast Polk Community School District are nearing completion after construction delays.

Voters approved a bond referendum in 2020 to cover major projects like the new $23 million stadium, the $3 million softball field improvements and a new $55 million school for students in sixth and seventh grade. District officials have expressed frustration with the contractor, Graphite Construction, over delays on the two sports projects.

Graphite is the sole contractor for the two sports projects and is one of the contractors for the school. The company previously said it ran into various challenges since the start of construction, including with soil conditions and turf discrepancies, that caused a ripple effect.

Local media have reported delays on the company's projects across central Iowa.

Here's the latest information about the projects presented at a school board meeting last week.

Softball field will open in a few weeks

A look at improvements to Southeast Polk's softball field.
A look at improvements to Southeast Polk's softball field.

The softball stadium improvements were supposed to be done in December 2022. The teams are expected to move in the week of April 24 and practice will start May 1 — just in time for a varsity doubleheader against Urbandale.

The field, located by the junior high school, will have new synthetic turf, lights, dugouts, bullpens, netting, storage and sightlines. There's also new restrooms, ticket office and press box.

Multipurpose stadium eyeing a six-month delay

The new multipurpose stadium, which had an original completion date of November 2022, is now expected to be done in the end of May.

Some items that still need to be done include:

  • Install lockers in late April.

  • Install turf in the next two or three weeks.

  • Finish the press box in the middle of May.

  • Finish the sidewalks in the next two weeks.

  • Start to surface the track by May 1, which will take three weeks.

"The end is in sight, but it's not tomorrow, that's for sure," Bill Good, the district's representative for capital construction projects, said at the Thursday board meeting.

The new facility will be located at the southwest side of the high school and will seat 6,200 people — 5,000 for home fans on the west side, and 1,200 for visitors on the east, both ADA accessible.

Additional amenities will include junior varsity and varsity locker rooms, a standard IAAF eight-lane track, shot put and discus fields located just outside the stadium and a synthetic turf infield for multisport use, accommodating football, soccer and other sports.

Sixth and seventh grade building on track for 2024 opening

A look at the new middle school in the Southeast Polk Community School District.
A look at the new middle school in the Southeast Polk Community School District.

A new school building for students in sixth and seventh grades is under construction on Eighth Street Southeast and Northeast 80th Street in Altoona, east of the Sam Wise Youth Complex.

Crews have recently been working on the roofing for the gym and the kitchen and are about to start installing precast concrete for the north classroom wing and the curtain wall for the music area.

The school is about 40% done and is on schedule to be complete in June 2024.

Chris Higgins covers the eastern suburbs for the Register. Reach him at chiggins@registermedia.com or 515-423-5146 and follow him on Twitter @chris_higgins_.

This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: When Southeast Polk High School's stadium, field will be done