St. Marys stadium on its final drive to completion

ST. MARYS - The visitors-side bleachers at the new St. Marys football stadium should be going up within the next week, and a scrimmage/open house will be held on July 16 to give people a preview of what games at the updated stadium will be like in the coming year.

Dan Burke with the Roughrider Philanthropic Organization said the concrete pad for the stands had been poured recently, and the bleacher company should be moving them in sometime before July 8. Those bleachers will be smaller than the home side's, seating 1,400 as opposed to the home side's 2,600, Burke said.

Still, the seats could come in handy depending upon the turnout for the upcoming open house, during which a seven-on-seven football scrimmage will be held, Burke said. The RPA has not yet met its fundraising goal of $3 million for the project, so with any luck, Burke said people who haven't made pledges yet might come to see the facility and decide to donate. According to Burke, the RPA has raised about 80% of the $3 million goal.

The goal was to finish the stadium in the next two or three months, hopefully before the first St. Marys home game on Sept. 12, he said. Like many other spring and summer projects this year, progress has been hampered by the weather, but Burke said Bruns Construction officials' cooperation has been great. After the bleachers go up, the next step would be painting and installing the fixtures for the concessions booths, restrooms, locker rooms and storage room, he continued.

"The community's been great. They've been really responsive, and we've gotten tons of positive comments … about how the facility looks," Burke said.

The move to finish the stadium at the middle/high school and to sell Skip Baughman Stadium to the city created a stir among some residents, who were attached to the old stadium along South Street. Burke stands by the decision, saying having the stadium close to the school has more advantages than keeping games at Skip Baughman Stadium.

"I know there's been a lot of controversy over this whole issue because there was a number of folks in this community who wanted to keep the stadium where it was, but if you would've seen Skip Baughman field when we had all that rain, it was underwater for three days."

After the completion of the stadium, the RPA might continue on to help with future projects, such as adding a field house at the facility and a path through the woods for the marching band, he said. The stadium parking lot is gravel, and paving it will not be a project for this year, Burke said. However, he believed the parking lot would be paved at some point.

Those looking for more information or to donate can visit the RPA website at roughriderpride.com or visit their Facebook page.