Where is ‘our’ $59.6 million football stadium?

My first visit to the Chelsea baseball field left a lasting impression. A "baseball fan from Ann Arbor" said he loves coming to watch high school baseball in Chelsea because the team is always one of the better teams in the area and the facility is first rate.
Chelsea and Saline have created an atmosphere of sports excellence, both with performances on the field and in the quality of their athletic facilities. And don’t think for one second the two things aren’t related. Players take great pride in putting on those Bulldogs and Hornets jerseys and they realize they are something special when they step onto those fields.
Dexter is quickly catching up. A turf field at the football stadium would raise them to the elite status of a Chelsea and Saline. Some still prefer playing on grass, but basically closing off the football field for 10 months of the year is a waste of prime real estate.
Put in the turf and let lacrosse, soccer and field hockey take advantage of playing under the lights. Last week, the Chelsea soccer team moved to the football field because their grass field was under water. It’s nice to have that option, especially in the spring.
Last Monday I visited Walled Lake Central High School for a night game on the Vikings’ turf field against Dexter. I could picture Chelsea and Saline and Dexter doing this on a Friday night in the spring and creating a nice evening activity in the community. Much like football in the fall.
The girls’ soccer teams also could play some games on Fridays under the lights on the football field. Maybe a lacrosse-soccer double-header. Show a movie on a big screen after the game. I’ll bring the popcorn.
But as good as the athletic facilities are at Chelsea and Saline, they still have a ways to go before scoring national recognition. Football boosters should stop reading here – we don’t want to give you folks any ideas.
The Allen (Texas) School District is building a $59.6 million football stadium. The booming north Dallas suburb will soon break ground on a state-of-the-art, 18,000-seat facility that will feature two decks, a video scoreboard, four concession stands and 12 restrooms. It is scheduled to open in the fall of 2012.
The stadium was part of a larger $120 million bond package passed in May 2009 that included nearly as much money for an auditorium for performing arts. The town also approved a bond package of $219 million in 2008 that included two new elementary schools, 45 school buses and improvements to other elementary and middle schools in the district.
Everything, of course, is bigger in Texas.
The high school, built in 2000, has more than 600,000 square feet and serves 3,900 kids – for grades 10 through 12.
You don’t always have to be bigger to be better. The booster clubs, local athletic supporters, school officials and residents in our wonderful communities make sure that nothing is too good for not only our high school athletes but all the students.