21 Apr 2005
The state-of-the-art facility will be built at a cost of $38.7 million
DALLAS— Movies about Texas high school football don't hold a candle to the real thing, and this is one year that will go down in the record books. That's because fans and players in the Dallas Independent School District will kick off the season in August at a new state-of-the-art $38.7 million athletic complex.
Construction for the Jesse Owens Memorial Complex is approximately 70 percent complete and is scheduled to open August 26, just in time for the first game of the season between South Oak Cliff and James Madison.
Named for the record-breaking Olympic athlete Jesse Owens, the new complex for middle and high school athletic events boasts a field house and stadium with artificial turf and track surfaces and is designed to accommodate 12,000 spectators for football, soccer and track events. Volleyball, basketball and wrestling will take place in the adjoining field house, which has a capacity for 7,500 spectators.
Troy Mathieu, assistant superintendent of athletics, says the complex is a much needed addition to the athletic facilities in DISD. "The Jesse Owens Memorial Complex will have a tremendous impact on the future of our athletic program. With the opening of the complex, student-athletes will be competing in one of the best high school facilities in the United States, and it will immediately become a magnet for major sports activities in the southern sector of Dallas."
Mathieu said the complex will serve as a new source of community pride and with its strategic location near I-20 and I-35, it should be in big demand as a host for various University Interscholastic League playoff contests.
The facility will greatly assist the Department of Athletics in alleviating scheduling challenges. Currently, 21 high schools and 23 middle schools must jockey for game times between the district's seven stadiums. But the complex is not just for sporting events. Graduations and other large capacity events will be held there as well.
Director of Districtwide Activities for DISD Judy Johnston said she is looking forward to the new stadium. "It will definitely benefit us because we won't have to rent facilities for most of our graduations," said Johnston, who annually plans 28 graduations as well as many other non-sporting events throughout the year. "If we have an event that all the teachers in the district need to attend, for example, it provides flexibility to have it on-site."
HKS Architect, Austin Commercial and Turner Construction are the design and construction team for the complex, which is part of DISD's 2002 Bond Program.
As of January 2005, 45 percent of the construction for the bond program is underway and contractors are working on more than 100 school facilities. Two new schools have opened plus one reconstructed school, three more have broken ground, seven additions have been completed and renovations on 28 schools are finished. This year, DISD is on schedule to break ground on 13 new schools, open two new elementary schools and complete renovations in 32 schools.