Citizens Bank
Stadium Build
Spring/Summer 2015
The construction of
Citizens Bank Stadium
Artist rendering of proposed stadium.
Construction of the new Citizens Bank Stadium began in the spring of 2015. The first phase was to do rough grade work, placement of drainage and infrastructure, and the installation of the field base and curb. The base consists of a layer of
stone that was graded and compacted over a packed clay base. There is no barrier between the layer of stone and the turf. A curb was poured around the entire parameter of the field before installation.
Pictured are the base layers.
A vapor barrier was installed over clay base prior to the gravel being placed and compacted over the entire field surface. After the base was properly shaped, the rolls of turf material were brought into the stadium.
Several yards of pipe and conduit were dug and laid prior to field installation.
As the field prep was taking place, other parts of the project were also being completed including the construction of the restrooms, concession stands and ticket office. Although the Press Box was pre-fabricated, all other structures were
North Restroom Facilities
built from the ground up which meant that all utilities such as electric, water and pluming had to be correctly installed. Many logistical issues were identified and
overcome as part of the process. The time crunch was being felt but with a combination of good planning and great weather, the project stayed on schedule for the entire build.
The installation of the turf was a very interesting process to observe. The turf itself is installed in 15 feet wide rolls. The sections are simply green with one white line at the left side of the roll. The material is similar to a long bristle brush. The bristles are about 5 inches in length. After the entire surface is laid, an aggregate that resembles small black rubber beads are dumped on the turf and worked into the fibers about 4 inches deep. Only a small portion of the bristle is sticking through the aggregate which gives the allusion of grass growing through dirt.
The process for applying the surface is also fascinating to watch. The turf was delivered on a large flat bed truck and the 15 foot wide rolls are slightly longer than the width of the football field. There are no hashmarks or logos in the turf at this time.
The field crew began at the east goal line and laid the first five yard section using a
UTV to roll the first section onto the field base. The first section is placed face up. All subsequent rolls are installed face down on the previous section in order to properly align the next "5 yard" marker.
The crew uses an ATV and a rack to roll the surface into place.
After the next sequential section is placed face down and aligned to the previous section, the new turf is literally sewn to the previous section using a stitching unit.
Manual alignment of section
Stitching Machine in use.
The crew starts on one end and makes a single continuous stitch all the way across the length of the section. Once the two sections are connected, the section is flipped over and a small roller is used to flatten the seam and hold
the previous section in place as the crew stretches the next section and removes any wrinkles in the turf material.
After verifying the correct placement by making several measurements, the process continues until the entire 100-yard field is in place. The ends of the newly installed field are perfectly aligned, however, the ends of each roll on both sides of the playing surface are uneven and are trimmed prior to placement of the sidelines. Once the entire field of play has been installed, the
endzones are put into place. As you may notice, none of the logos are yet installed. These are added after the
endzone base is in place. This section will also be trimmed prior to placing the sidelines and sewing them into the main section. Once complete, the difficult and tedious process of manually installing each hashmark, yardline number, endzone logo and the main midfield logo begins. This is done by cutting the existing field away and laying in the new section in place and sewing it together by hand. This process took several days since more than 350 hashmarks had to be sewn in place as well as 38 numbers and other items that needed to be implemented on to the playing surface.
While the field was being finished, work had began on pouring the remainder of the concrete, finishing brick work, and installaation of the grandstands. Other items such as the pressbox, scoreboard, and goal posts were ordered. At this point, the stadium really began to take shape. The grandstand base was set and crossmembers were put in place. Great care was taken to ensure things were properly aligned and secured.
There were literally thousands of bolts, washers and nuts that needed to be installed indiviually.
During the time that the main grandstand base was being built, the scoreboard and the pre-fabricated press box were delivered and unloaded into the EHS parking lot.
The press box was moved to the grandstand area and was lifted by crane to its location where it was bolted into place and hooked into the electrical supply.
While the crane was available, the new scoreboard was set on its base and "Citizens Bank Stadium" was beginning to look like the "Home of the Cyclones".
The next item was the installation of the goalposts. This required nothing more than three workers and a few step ladders. First the base was put into place. Then the bottom cross beam was attached but was still able to pivot on the base. The team then lowered the left side to the ground and installed the left upright. Next the cross beam was pivoted to allow the other end to touch the ground and the right side was attached. the final step was to lift and level the goalpost into place and secure. They then would move to the west endzone and repeat the process.
Base Installed
Install Right Upright
Crossbar Added
Pivot for Left Upright
Pivot for Left Upright
Install Left Upright
Pivot into Place and Level
Final Check and Lock in Place
Many other issues were identified and resolved. Lights were ordered and installed. As completion was near, alignment of the lights was one of the last tasks to be completed. On August 3rd, 2015, the stadium lights were turned on for the first time and Citizens Bank Stadium seemed to come to life.
Lights shine for the first time at "Citizens Bank Stadium"
As stated earlier, for more than 40 years after students moved to the new campus, all home football games continued to be played at Brown Childress stadium several blocks away. There was nothing more than a practice field at the High School. All home games seemed to be like an away game.
It was only by the hard work of several people and some very generous donations that this sports complex exists today. Used for several different sports activities, concerts, graduations, and community events, this facility has been a great addition to the Cyclone community.