‘Our kids are going to amazed;’ Dayton Public Schools talk progress in Welcome Stadium renovation
Dayton Public Schools provided an update Thursday on the progress of the renovation at Welcome Stadium.
Construction crews laid down the last metal beam for the new press box at the stadium.
>>PHOTOS: Renovations continue at Welcome Stadium in Dayton
News Center 7′s Mike Campbell says this project has been underway for several months. People can see the progress at Welcome Stadium driving on Edwin C. Moses Boulevard.
Dayton Public School leaders held a celebration Thursday. They signed a metal beam for its placement for the press box to signify student success.
Two workers were on the steel shell of Welcome Stadium while others used a large crane to hoist the final beam.
Campbell said the construction milestone shows the community the multi-million renovations are nearing completion. School leaders said the stadium built in 1949 desperately needed a makeover.
“Our locker rooms looked like Knute Rockne played in those locker rooms,” said Dr. Elizabeth Lolli, Superintendent of Dayton Public Schools. “Our students deserve to have a facility that they’re proud of. They deserve to have the experiences that other students have around us.”
>>PREVIOUS COVERAGE: DPS fires contractor with Welcome Stadium renovation
Lolli said this dream has been years in the making.
The first phase included a new turf field, a new track, new seating areas, all new locker rooms and concession stands.
Campbell reports the cost of the project is $28 million and funding was jump started by a lawsuit settlement the district won.
Lolli believes Welcome Stadium benefits both DPS and the City of Dayton with more events now a strong possibility.
“Because that will generate revenue for the city, for hotels and restaurants, that sort of thing,” she said.
>>ORIGINAL COVERAGE: DPS breaks ground on $11M renovation of Welcome Stadium
The superintendent was joined by parents and school board members in signing the final beam before it was hoisted into place. Even DPS legend, Keith Byars, stopped by earlier to sign it. He was a student athlete that played football at Ohio State and more than a decade in the NFL.
“I think from an athletic stand point, that’s been our Achilles Heel, our facilities,” said Victoria Jones, Athletic Director Dayton Public Schools. “Our kids are going to be amazed when they come back and see all of this new renovation.”
Jones told Campbell she is overjoyed about the upgrades at Welcome Stadium and hopes maybe the next Keith Byars or Edwin C. Moses will learn and grow here, on their way to the top.
“Our kids just deserve better,” she said. ”Our community, a lot of people come through Welcome Stadium.”
Chrisondra Goodwine, Dayton Public School board president, called Welcome Stadium is the hub of athletics and entertainment in Dayton.
“Not only can you come here, go next door and watch a basketball game,” she said. “This is really the hub of everything that’s happening in athletics and entertainment in our city right off I-75. So, this is great for only the DPS, but the City of Dayton.”
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Lolli says the project is scheduled to be completed by the start of high school football season, which is about mid-August.
