Renovations to State College’s Memorial Field look as if they will be finished well in time for this year’s fall sports season.
Ed Poprik, the school district’s director of physical plant, said at Monday’s State College Area School Board meeting that the project is currently on schedule to meet the contracted completion date of July 31.
Construction on the $14.3 million project, which is the third and final phase of planned renovations to the field, began late last spring and the field has been closed since. The football team moved its home games to the South Track field on the high school campus, while the field hockey and soccer teams played at the new North Field. The lacrosse teams also will play at the North Field this spring.
When completed, the renovations will add new locker rooms, restrooms, pedestrian plazas, home-side seating and concessions.
In recent days, Poprik said, work has been moving at a faster pace thanks to unseasonably warm weather.
‘The contractors love the 60 degree days,’ he said.
The upper two floors of the district’s former Nittany Avenue Building were demolished as part of the project and roof planking over the basement area has been completed. That will allow for the creation of a new spectator plaza and a permanent concession stand. Substantial masonry work for the concession stand has been completed as well, with roof joints coming in next.
In former basement of the Nittany Avenue Building, the plaza’s foundation, mechanical, electrical and plumbing are all in progress.
A new building being constructed under the new bleachers on the east side of the stadium will contain the locker and training rooms, public restrooms and a circulation area. The foundation, masonry walls and majority of the bleacher footings have been installed and structural steel for the locker room is being installed ‘at a very good clip,’ Poprik said.
Foundation has been set for a new south ramp, which will border Nittany Avenue and will connect the east and west sides of the stadium.
At the north end along Friedman Park, substantial work has been completed on concrete walls for a new ramp that will allow vehicle access to the field.
Permanent electric, gas, water, and sewer service have been installed.
The project has a 5 percent contingency budget, and Poprik said that to date change orders have totaled 1.28 percent, leaving $463,165.
‘We do have some exposure, but with the current condition of the work we believe we’re in good shape in terms of the change order contingency,’ Poprik said.
He added that there have been no accidents on site throughout the project and that there has been ‘good coordination’ among contractors.
