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Katy Boasts Priciest High School Football Stadium Ever, But Allen Set The Bar 5 Years Ago

Kat Chow for KERA News
/
KERA News special contributor
The Allen Eagles football team warm up before an August 2015 game when the $60 million stadium re-opened after repairs.

Five stories that have North Texas talking: Price tags for high school stadiums in Texas are getting bigger; Sid Miller criticizes Six Flags; baseball gloves are still made in this Texas town; and more.

It’s no surprise that Texas towns pour millions into their high school football programs. The price tag for Katy ISD’s new 12,000-seat Legacy Stadium’s grabbing headlines, though. At $72 million, it’s believed to be the most expensive high school football stadium ever built.

The school district holds its first game next week. Eight high schools will use the field. Soccer will be played there, too. The Associated Press reports: “Katy voters in 2014 approved the construction as part of a whopping $748 million bond that will pay for new schools for a district of 74,000 students that's growing at a rate of 2,000 students a year.”

About $58 million was initially set aside for the stadium but rising costs pushed the price tag upward.

 

As Houston Chronicle reports, “Legacy Stadium pushes a culture of Texas high school football stadiums that won't be slowing down anytime soon.”

But, it was the 18,000-seat stadium that Allen ISD opened five years ago that set a whole new precedent for high school stadiums, according to the Chronicle. It came with a then-record price tag of $60 million in 2012.

 

The home of the Allen Eagles had to close its doors in February 2014 for a year and a half after large cracks were found in the concrete.

Two more North Texas school districts have new, multimillion-dollar stadiums in the works. McKinney ISD is beginning construction of its nearly $70 million-stadium, which is set to open sometime next year. And, Prosper ISD recently announced plans to open a new $48 million-stadium in 2019. [The Associated Press, Houston Chronicle]

 

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  • Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller calls Six Flags’ decision to take down the Confederate flag and four others part of a “militant, anarchist movement sweeping our country, destroying and attempting to sanitize our nation’s history.” [The Texas Tribune]
  • Baseball gloves aren’t really made in America anymore, with the exception of a small town in Montague County north of Fort Worth. Nokona manufacturing company has been making gloves since the Great Depression. [Fort Worth Star-Telegram]
  • Texas Woman’s University has its first-ever mascot — a white and maroon owl — plus a new logo and slogan, “Boldly Go.” [Denton Record-Chronicle]
  • Spiral Diner opened in Denton Tuesday. The vegan restaurant operates locations in Dallas and Fort Worth, too. [The Dentonite]

The High Five is KERA’s daily roundup of stories from Dallas-Fort Worth and across the state.Explore our archives here. And sign up forour weekly emailfor the North Texas news you need to know.