IOWA COLONY, TX (August 8, 2016) – A sparkling, new Alvin ISD stadium for varsity football, soccer and band performances is now a step closer to reality.
The Alvin Independent School District has purchased a 98-acre site at Iowa Colony Boulevard and County Road 64 in the new Meridiana master-planned community for a 10,000-seat competition varsity stadium to open in the fall of 2018.
“The new stadium’s location allows anyone in our 252 square-mile geography to access it from major thoroughfares with relative ease,” notes Patrick Miller, Associate Superintendent of the Alvin Independent School District. “Plus, the location is ideal for residents of Meridiana.”
Dan Naef, president of Rise Communities, developer of Meridiana adds, “The presence of a new, on-site competition stadium will certainly be a big selling point for our community of new homes.”
Miller says the stadium’s proximity to Texas Highway 288 provides easy access from Highway 6 and the future Grand Parkway. It also will be convenient for visiting teams and families from outside the District traveling south from Houston or north from Brazoria County.
The Houston area’s newest varsity stadium will include administrative offices for the Alvin ISD Athletic Department along with home, visitors and officials locker rooms behind one end zone. The other end of the stadium will house an Alumni Center for educational events, school banquets, UIL competitions and alumni reunions. Elevated about four feet above the playing field, the Alumni Center will offer guests the opportunity to watch games from inside the facility or from a covered terrace platform.
The artificial turf stadium will feature a two-level press box with dedicated space for coaches, scouts from other high schools and universities, a timer’s box, announcer’s box, areas for media and scoreboard operation. It also will include an open concourse, concession stands, first aid stations, modern scoreboard and restrooms.
“It certainly will offer all of the amenities anyone could expect in a public school stadium complex,” says Miller.
Plus, the stadium’s paved parking will provide a parking space for every four seats in the stadium, far exceeding the parking per seating capacity of most venues in the greater Houston area, he adds.
A satellite transportation center behind the stadium will be used to transport students to ULI school events at other campuses.
Miller says land is available at the site for a future district natatorium and fine arts center. The stadium, to be officially named upon opening, can be expanded to 12,000 seats if the school district deems it necessary.
“It’s an event venue that will serve our students and the community for years to come,” he adds.
After its first year, both the Alumni Center and stadium will be available for non-profit organizations to rent when times are available.
Miller expects construction to begin this fall following a competitive bid process to select the stadium’s general contractor.
Funds for the new stadium were approved from the district’s November 3, 2015 bond election which included funds to upgrade Alvin ISD’s Memorial Stadium.