New High School Stadiums

[Pete]

4 new stadiums set to start in OKC area

Soon and for the first time ever, all 3 Edmond and Putnam City high schools will be playing varsity football games on their own campuses.

Both districts recently passed bond issues to build the facilities.

Edmond Santa Fe opened its new stadium last year and all Edmond high schools started playing their home games there, but Edmond Memorial and Edmond North will soon get home fields of their own.

And both Putnam City North and Putnam City West are scheduled to start this summer on stadiums in their own back yards.

In the case of Edmond, the district had been paying rent to the University of Central Oklahoma for Wantland Field and all but three games last season were moved to Santa Fe.

Work is set to start this summer at Edmond North and they should be hosting home games in the fall of 2018. After completion, work will start across town at Edmond Memorial with the likely ability to host games starting in 2019.

In addition to no longer paying rental fee, a fourth high school is planned for Edmond (land has been purchased at Air Depot and Covell) which would make the UCO arrangement almost impossible to manage.

The work at Putnam North and Putnam West will run simultaneously and both new facilities should be ready for the 2018 season, at which time Putnam City will have the district's original stadium all to themselves.

Although scheduling had been difficult for the three PC schools, through a spokesperson the district said, “The intent of the improvements is to build a greater sense of community at each school and within each feeder pattern. High school teams will play home games at their home school, surrounded by the community that most closely follows and supports the school. Middle school teams will play games at the school they look forward to attending and playing for a year or two down the road.”

The schools have been sharing Putnam City Stadium since Putnam West opened in 1968 and Putnam North in 1978.


The following information was provided by Susan Parks-Schlepp of Edmond Schools and Steve Lindley of Putnam City Schools.

Edmond North

Cost: $10 million
Capacity: 6,000
Architect: LWPB Architecture
Estimated Completion: Fall 2018
Location: Current practice field / track

Edmond Memorial

Cost: $10 million
Capacity: 6,000
Architect: TBD
Estimated Completion: Fall 2019
Location: Current practice field / track (track to be moved)

Putnam City North

Cost: $8 million
Capacity: 3,500
Architect: Red Prairie Design Group
Estimated Completion: Fall 2018
Location: New; next to practice field / track; baseball moved

Putnam City West

Cost: $8 million
Capacity: 3,500
Architect: Sparks Reed Architects
Estimated Completion: Fall 2018
Location: Current practice field / track; baseball moved

[Pete]

I am a proud grad of Putnam City and for years before playing rivals PC West, we had the tradition of covering up "Putnam City Stadium" with a "Pirate Stadium" sign, as that has been the name before West opened in 1968 (and then PC North in 1978).

Looks like the original stadium -- which is really a great facility, BTW -- could get its original name back once the other schools start playing on their own fields.

[dankrutka]

Not a fan of the design for Edmond North's stadium. I really like how Edmond Memorial went with shorter stands that were longer. That and the brick wall give a classic feel. Putnam North's looks good too. Can't really tell what's happening with that Putnam West rendering.

[Pete]

Due to space constraints, Putnam West will have both home and visitors on the same (west) side of the field, but separated.

I should have a better rendering soon, as they are still finalizing things.

[Zuplar]

I wish Moore would build stadiums.

[SOONER8693]

I wish Moore would build stadiums.

Westmoore will get their own, new stadium someday. When I win the lottery it is a done deal.

[Bellaboo]

Due to space constraints, Putnam West will have both home and visitors on the same (west) side of the field, but separated.

I should have a better rendering soon, as they are still finalizing things.

The neighborhood will like those lights at that stadium....not

[Joe Kimball]

That's going to be a fun right field fence against Warwick in the case of PCN's baseball field relocation! I'm looking forward to seeing what the stadium looks like, even though this occurs 20 years after my graduation.

[Pete]

The neighborhood will like those lights at that stadium....not

That field has been used for middle school games and scrimmages for some time and I believe it's had lighting for a while.

Most these schools back right up to residential areas, as does the original Putnam City stadium.

[Zuplar]

Westmoore will get their own, new stadium someday. When I win the lottery it is a done deal.

I mean don't they already use the mini stadium for jr high games? I feel like they could just expand it and it would work and be on campus.

[traxx]

I don't know who originally designed the stadium at Edmond Memorial but they deserve to have their knuckles rapped. Your prime seats are between the 50s and as it is now, there's barely any seats in that location. Glad to see they'll be fixing this.

[Bellaboo]

That field has been used for middle school games and scrimmages for some time and I believe it's had lighting for a while.

Most these schools back right up to residential areas, as does the original Putnam City stadium.

Been there done that at all three stadiums years ago. It's so close to the backyards on the East side that they do not have enough room for anything. IIRC the players for both teams were also on the West side.

[benjico]

Schools around the state move to four days a week to deal with budget cuts while Edmond invests millions in extra curricular facilities. What a time to be alive.

[coov23]

Schools around the state move to four days a week to deal with budget cuts while Edmond invests millions in extra curricular facilities. What a time to be alive.

It was passed by bond issue. I clicked on here looking for someone, usually anti sports guy, to make that comment. But here's the truth. Football pays for a ton of stuff at every school. The revenues brought in cover stuff, not only for extra curricular activities, but education too. So, them having nice facilities is okay with me.

[benjico]

I realize it's a bond and separate from the state budget. And that Edmond can do what it wants with it's money, especially given it has the advantage of being able to use football as a revenue generator. More of just a commentary on the education system as a whole and how we've gotten here. It just shows the advantages/disadvantages you have based on your schooling district and how this particular city can withstand the state's budget crisis.

[Pete]

^

But keep in mind, the PC schools are doing the exact same thing .

[Richard at Remax]

^Exactly. Must've missed that part.

[Jersey Boss]

It was passed by bond issue. I clicked on here looking for someone, usually anti sports guy, to make that comment. But here's the truth. Football pays for a ton of stuff at every school. The revenues brought in cover stuff, not only for extra curricular activities, but education too. So, them having nice facilities is okay with me.

Your comment piqued my curiosity. What ton of stuff does football in Edmond pay for? Is there a source somewhere for finding out how much and to where these revenues are diverted?

[Bellaboo]

It was passed by bond issue. I clicked on here looking for someone, usually anti sports guy, to make that comment. But here's the truth. Football pays for a ton of stuff at every school. The revenues brought in cover stuff, not only for extra curricular activities, but education too. So, them having nice facilities is okay with me.

Don't confuse high school sports with top major universities. High schools do not get the TV revenue streams or much anything else as a source of revenue. I doubt a program in the state actually has any amount of excess cash from it's operations.

[benjico]

Your comment piqued my curiosity. What ton of stuff does football in Edmond pay for? Is there a source somewhere for finding out how much and to where these revenues are diverted?

I was referencing coov23's comment.

[jn1780]

Don't confuse high school sports with top major universities. High schools do not get the TV revenue streams or much anything else as a source of revenue. I doubt a program in the state actually has any amount of excess cash from it's operations.

Yeah, they only charge a couple of dollars for entrance and I don't believe concessions are that crazy. If they made excess revenue it would be from donors and this would be reinvested into athletics.

Now, it could be argued that grouping athletic projects with less popular bond issues helps those items to get passed.

[Jersey Boss]

I was referencing coov23's comment.

I know, that would be why I included coov23's in my comment.

[dankrutka]

I can't imagine that any high school football programs can pay for themselves much less other sports or academics. I'd be interested in reading any studies or articles that suggest otherwise. Heck, only 7 universities (one of them being OU) in the entire nation have athletic departments that actually make money overall. All the other athletic departments lose money and have to be funded by taxpayers/donors.

[BLJR]

Regardless of the amount of revenue being brought in by any of these football programs, is it going to be that drastically different if the game is played at PCN VS PC's shared stadium at NW 50th and Meridian? May sell a few more seats at each game, but that is about it. Yes these new stadiums are paid for by bond issues, but that is the problem with our education system and the monetary system that is tied to it. That bond money should be delegated to increasing teachers pay instead of new stadiums, or they should be paid for by private donations. I am all for these schools having a stadium to play games in, but the sharing of one stadium has been working without any issues for a long time.

[Pete]

The PC spokesperson said the whole point -- especially with the changing communities around their schools -- was to better engage the neighborhoods and get people more involved with the schools.

Football is by far the easiest way to have that happen, as is the ability to host graduation and other events.

In the grand scheme of things, it's not that huge of a one-time expense and the schools will have them forever. The PC stadium has been there since the late 50's or early 60's, going on 60 years.

And with artificial turf, there isn't much maintenance and the ability to host playoff games for the smaller classes in football, soccer... Host band competitions, etc.