XENIA — After years of trying to make it happen, the next phase of the Doug Adams Stadium renovation project is in full swing in Xenia.
On Thursday, Xenia Schools and community leaders came together to break ground on the new additions to the stadium.
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“It feels like this particular project has been a long time coming,” Dr. Gabriel Lofton, superintendent of Xenia Community Schools, said.
As reported on News Center 7 at 5:00, new stands, lights, and electrical systems were installed last summer as part of the project’s first phase. Now the project moves into the second phase.
“This project is part of a vision that has been unfolding in the Xenia Community Schools for over the past six, seven years,” Mary Grech, president of the Xenia Community School Board, said.
A nearly 8,000-square-foot fieldhouse will be built where Thursday’s groundbreaking took place. It’ll be home to new locker rooms, a concessions stand, and a community room.
This phase of the project will cost about $4 million. It’ll be paid for by a mix of district capital funds and private donations.
“We tried in the past and we failed,” Pete Stephan, of the Doug Adams Trust, said. “We have finally succeeded.”
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Football players and seniors Gavin McManus and Gunner Stephan told News Center 7 that they’re grateful to see how people have come together to get this new stadium built.
“It’s a lot of hard work from the community and our team and the other teams that play on this field. So we’re really excited about the work that’s been put in,” McManus said.
While they won’t get to play on the newly renovated field before graduating, they’re excited for those who will come after them.
“The teams after us are going to be able to get this and we’ve kind of helped pave the way to try and give them this better opportunity to succeed,” Stephan said.
The project is expected to be completed by December.
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