The stadium bid for Woodlawn High School is approved. It could be built by the fall
The Birmingham BOE rejected the bid for the revised Woodlawn stadium plans after the price estimate more than doubled.
Karlos Dansby had one more reason to be thankful this Black Friday morning when he learned that the Birmingham Board of Education had accepted the bid to build a football stadium and fieldhouse on the campus of Woodlawn High School.
“Without a doubt, I’m thankful,” said Dansby, a 2000 alumnus of Woodlawn who went on to play at Auburn University before playing in the National Football League. “Happy Thanksgiving to everybody, and I look forward to seeing this project come to life.”
The board of education on Tuesday unanimously approved a bid of $8.7 million with Argo Building Company for a new stadium and fieldhouse at Woodlawn High. Work on the project is expected to be completed in fall 2022.
It initially rejected the bid in early November with five members voting no, two voting yes and two abstaining after the estimated base project cost more than doubled from the initial $4.2 million estimate. The architect said the board needed to increase stadium capacity to 2,800 with space for 1,700 additional seats to host playoff games, build a new parking lot to accommodate the added seating, increase concessions and restrooms and build structural support to remediate unsuitable subsurface conditions. The new board members at that time said they wanted to start over on the project and reconsider the options.
Superintendent Mark Sullivan said the new stadium will have a huge impact on Woodlawn High School and the community it serves.
“Woodlawn has a rich history of excellence in academics and athletics,” Sullivan said. “We are pleased to have the support of the Board of Education on this project.”
The previous school board broke ground on the Woodlawn stadium project this summer. The acceptance of the bid by the current board on Tuesday is the culmination of the process that will clear the way for construction.
Dansby was present for that ceremonial groundbreaking and is pleased ground will be broken in earnest to begin this project.
“It’s much needed,” he said. “It’s gonna spark a lot of development in the community. It’s much needed. I’m excited. Super excited. It’s long overdue. I’m just happy that the board decided to move forward with this. It’s a beautiful thing, a beautiful thing.”
Experts warn Congress cuts to addiction funding will mean more overdose deaths
A broad coalition of addiction experts wants Congress to maintain healthcare funding for the nation's response to fentanyl and other street drugs.
Chiefs superfan ‘ChiefsAholic’ sentenced to 32 years in Oklahoma prison
A Kansas City Chiefs superfan known as "ChiefsAholic" was sentenced Monday in an Oklahoma courtroom to serve 32 years in state prison for robbing a Tulsa-area bank.
Judge refuses to block IRS from sharing tax data to identify people illegally in U.S.
The decision comes after the acting IRS commissioner resigned over a deal allowing ICE to submit names and addresses of immigrants inside the U.S. illegally to the IRS for cross-verification.
Michael Jordan joins NBC as the network revives its NBA coverage
It has been over 20 years since NBC had rights to broadcast NBA games. Its last run was during the 90s, which coincided with Michael Jordan's reign over basketball.
Museum opens in Czech Republic at site where Oskar Schindler saved 1,200 Jews
The former textile factory in the town of Brněnec was stolen by the Nazis from its Jewish owners in 1938 and turned into a concentration camp. This weekend it welcomed the first visitors to the Museum of Survivors.
Trump tried to fire Corporation for Public Broadcasting board members. Then came DOGE
DOGE staffers tried to assign a team to the independent Corporation for Public Broadcasting after President Trump's purported firing of three board members last month.