The Danville District 118 School Board has approved a $5.4 million deal with contractor Petry Kuhne out of Champaign for a complete renovation of the Danville High School football field area. This will not only mean a modern field turf field and a larger field than can be used for regulation soccer, but it also will mean new home bleachers, as well as a new concrete surface at the top of the home bleachers.
As as District 118 Athletic Director Mark Bacys points out, this is also about needed repairs, as the old tunnels leading to the field will be replaced. There will also be improved handicapped access.
Audio PlayerAUDIO: A lot of it’s about safety. The tunnels are collapsing. Anytime somebody that’s wheelchair bound comes to an event at DHS it’s a hassle right now for them. And so, they’re going to have access to the front row seating or the back row seating through the new design. We’re really excited about that.
The new field, which will be moved slightly further away from the school building to the east, will have a fence completely around it, with a sidewalk completely around the fence. As far as the field turf goes, Bacys says this has been talked about for quite a while, going back to B.J. Luke’s coaching days.
Audio PlayerAUDIO: So it’s finally coming to fruition. And it’s probably been 15 years they’ve been talking about it. It’ll be the final piece of the puzzle. It’ll help with the branding. It’ll help with the aesthetics of the building. I don’t know if there’s a better building in that state, that’s 100 years old, that looks as well as ours.
And the DHS building, by the way, turns 100 years old next year. There will also be a new press box; on the home side, right at the 50 yard line. The project will begin in late October at the conclusion of the current football season, and should be done for the start of the 2024 season. And yes, it was pointed out special arrangements may have to be made for the 2024 graduation, as there’s a good chance it will not be finished quite that quickly.
