BROOKFIELD, Ohio (WKBN) – Friday Night Lights in Brookfield could have a different feel this fall as the school moves its football program to a new location due to safety concerns.
You may not notice it at first glance, but if you look closely, you'll see it.
“When you come to the site and see the site, the actual site itself is amazing,” said Derek Mihalshin, chairman of the Board of Education. “When you start going behind the scenes where you don’t see the community participating in the games, you realize how bad it is and how dangerous it is.”
George A. Nichols Field has been home to the Brookfield football program for more than half a century, but safety concerns about the aging facility are forcing school officials to make the difficult decision to relocate. .
“It's not a question of if something will happen. It's a question of when,” Mihalshin said.
A tarpaulin has been stretched across the locker room ceiling to prevent the rusted roof from falling onto the players, and the patchwork press box, which was not part of the original structure, is still supported by temporary reinforcing beams. There is.
“We also confirmed that there is water flowing under this building and it could affect the foundation. So anything beyond that is just a safety issue,” Mihalshin said.
School officials say it would be too expensive to preserve the old facility, and trustees have serious doubts about the structural integrity of the stands and cannot wait any longer.
“We've been doing some sort of patchwork to keep our maintenance guys up to date with the latest information. But some things get so patchy that they get out of hand.” said Mihalshin.
The new location of the soccer field on the district's K-12 campus will be renovated to accommodate players and fans this fall. Some seating, lighting and goalposts will be relocated to new locations as preparations begin for Friday night.
“We built this beautiful campus many years ago. The plan was always to have everything on campus. It just took a while to get there,” Mihalshin said.
