The 2010 football season is shaping up to be a memorable one for the Allen Eagles. With Baylor commit Jonathan Lee — considered by most to be one of the top receivers in the state — leading the way, Allen has a legitimate chance at winning a state championship later this year.
↵Aside from their success on the field, Allen is making news off the field as well for their new football stadium. The stadium, which is part of a $120 million bond package that was passed in May 2009, was set to cost Allen ISD $53.5 million.
↵As reported earlier today by the Dallas Morning News, Allen ISD trustees put their stamp on the initial cost of the new 18,000-seat stadium. But like most mega-structures in the state (See: World, Jerry), the initial figure just wasn’t enough to complete the project.
↵So the trustees had to go back to the drawing board, approving an additional $6 million for the stadium to cover a state-of-the-art weight room ($1 million), plus furniture and other items that will be added to the facility.
↵The almost $60 million figure has a lot of people questioning Allen’s motives to build such a stadium, when most school districts are making budget cuts across the board. But when you look at the school’s current following and the stadium they currently have, the new digs make sense.
↵Allen’s current stadium seats 8,000 people, a figure that will be dwarfed by the new stadium that has an expected completion date of 2012. The Eagles have also had trouble over the last couple of years finding seats for the fans that show up on Friday night, leading to another problem: a lack of bathrooms.
↵It’s a sure bet the new stadium will have enough facilities to meet the needs of Allen’s fanbase. Whether the football team can match the expectations of the new facility remains to be seen.
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