The Alachua County School Board voted on Thursday to move forward with environmental evaluations of Citizens Field. The board will also consider five alternate sites.
The agreement allows the board and city to proceed with environmental evaluations with an inspection period that could last as long as nine months, during which the board can choose whether to proceed with purchasing.
In June, the board voted to postpone the decision on Citizens Field and to consider additional site plans. The board’s decision to proceed with evaluations of Citizens Field allows it to remain one of six site options for football stadiums. Had the board voted not to proceed, the Citizens Field option would no longer be available.
During the June meeting, the board expressed concerns with a potential brownfield designation, which suggests the ground may be contaminated.
Gainesville City Manager Andrew Persons attended Thursday’s meeting and confirmed the site did not receive a brownfield designation. The city attempted to get a designation to apply for a brownfield grant, he said, which could help fund renovations. But the site was not approved as a designated brownfield, he added, so it can’t receive the grant.
Jay Nordqvist, the CEO of GSE Engineering & Consulting, Inc., also spoke about the site’s environmental concerns during the meeting.
Nordqvist confirmed there were no environmental impacts left by an oil tank removed during the 1980s. However, there may be concerns over the landfilling that used to occur on the northern section of the property, he said.
Future evaluations and work to address such concerns could cost between $10,000 to $15,000, he added. The city agreed to pay up to $15,000 for environmental evaluations.
The board also heard presentations about alternate stadium sites. Citizens Field currently serves as a joint stadium for Buchholz, Gainesville and Eastside High Schools.
The board considered additional joint stadiums at Diamond Sports Park and Loften High School. It’s also considering individual campus-based sites at each school and the potential for Loften High School to serve as a campus site for Gainesville High School.
Across all six sites, the cost to build a stadium is estimated at a minimum of $11.5 million. This takes into account factors like turf, facilities and field lighting. It does not account for factors like parking and stormwater drainage.
The interlocal agreement for Citizens Field estimates the total cost to be between $22 million and $25 million. This falls in line with the minimum facility requirements outlined in the agreement, which include factors like parking and stormwater management.
The board did not vote on the alternative five sites, but the district will move forward with a 60-day stadium assessment for each of the options.
Community members expressed mixed feelings about the Citizens Field stadium site.
Jenn Garrett was among those who spoke during public comment. She expressed concerns with the fairness of having a joint stadium.
“Is it fair that Newberry High School, that Santa Fe High School, that Hawthorne High School have their own stadiums?” Garrett asked. “Is it fair that for decades, Buchholz, Eastside and GHS have shared one field?”
While some individuals, like Garrett, expressed concerns with the site, others urged the board to move forward with the plan.
Sara Puyana, a 44-year-old member of the Eastside High School alumni band, encouraged the district to proceed with Citizens Field.
“I think it's a really important site that's been there forever,” Puyana said. “I'm in the Eastside alumni band, and it's something that provokes so much emotion to the people that I play with and generations of people who have gone there to celebrate homecoming.”
Contact Grace Larson at glarosn@alligator.org. Follow her on X @graceellarson.
Grace Larson is a second-year journalism student and this summer's metro editor. She previously worked as city/county commission reporter and K-12 education reporter for The Alligator. When she's not editing stories, Grace enjoys running, weightlifting and going on random side quests. If she's not at her desk, you can find her at any place offering free food and crafts.
