DPS fires contractor with Welcome Stadium renovation

DAYTON — The fate of Dayton Public Schools’ Welcome Stadium is in limbo after the school district fired the company hired to renovated the facility.

>>PHOTOS: DPS fires contractor with Welcome Stadium renovation

News Center 7′s Mike Campbell spoke with school board members about the project and its rising costs.

Welcome Stadium is owned by Dayton Public Schools, a facility used for the district’s high schools to play football games, as well as men’s and women’s track meets in the spring.

The school district was excited to announced renovations last year but it appears the cash needed to complete things is going way up.

>>PREVIOUS COVERAGE: DPS breaks ground on $11M renovation of Welcome Stadium

Work is progressing nicely as the district’s general contractor, the Shook Construction Company, moves forward with seating renovations. They are also doing improvements in a number of areas.

Campbell says the original contract called for $11 million and Skanska was given a half-million-dollar contract to be the oversight manager.

But now, the board has voted to end their contract. Even those that approved terminating Skanska’s contract did wonder what this means.

“How much more of the resources is the district going to have to pay for this project?”

Board members asked about a project that began somewhere between $11 million and $27 million. It is now estimated at $44 million.

>>Previous coverage: Dayton Public Schools to start process into renovating or replacing Welcome Stadium

Campbell says there have been some add-ons the district has decided to put in, including a second athletic field, a field house and a storage building.

Elizabeth Lolli, Dayton Public Schools Superintendent, said the following when Campbell reached out her.

“The district hired Skansa to manage and oversee the Welcome Stadium project last year. The contract was terminated because the district now has personnel in place to oversee the day-to-day work of this project. Therefore, having an outside company manage this project became unnecessary. The total expected cost is $44 million, with $9.2 million being funded by ESSER, $11 million being funded by the settled ODE lawsuit and another $6 million being paid for by the district. The remaining costs will be fundraised. There are no expected interruptions to spring or fall sports, as both the turf and the track have already been replaced.”

>>PHOTOS: Welcome Stadium Remodeling

Campbell reached out to Skanska about being thrown off the job and received the following response:

“Skanska appreciates the opportunity to work with Dayton Public Schools on this important project and understands the district’s desire to now manage the project with internal resources as part of their recent restructuring efforts. In its role as owner’s rep, Skanska has been able to move the project forward, and we now wish the district the best as it takes over management of this project.”

The board asked the superintendent to give the community an update on the project soon.

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