A unanimous ruling by the Westfield Board of Zoning Appeals in favor of Westfield Washington Schools will save the district $300,000 to $500,000 on its stadium project.
On July 9, the school district asked and received a variance from the U.S. 31 overlay which is subject to façade building standards. Associate Planner Andrew Murray said all visible façades must be made of brick or 60 percent brick and Exterior Insulation and Finish System. This potential wall would run the length of the home stands on the west side of the stadium.
“Admittedly, when the material list was established, stadiums and grandstands were not contemplated at that time,” Murray said.
Westfield Washington Schools’ officials argued that the stadium is a structure and not a building.
“It’s impractical to build a brick wall,” Verhoff said, adding that the freestanding wall would require a change in bleacher designs so the seating is attached to provide support. “If we spend that kind of money I’d rather get some kind of functionality out of it.”
Verhoff said an earth mound and trees will try to hide part of the stadium’s west side facing U.S. 31. He said the 12-foot fence surrounding the stadium may have meshing to provide more privacy.
“You can’t hide the fact it is a stadium, the lights on Friday night will give it away,” he said.
The WHS soccer field, which is adjacent to the football stadium and will share a main entrance, was not required to have the U.S. 31 overlay façade requirements due to a hill behind the stadium. Verhoff said because of a Marathon pipeline behind the stadium a large hill is not an option.
Jeff Olson of CSO Architects said the stadium will have aluminum bleachers, a masonry elevator and metal panels surrounding an LED sign facing U.S. 31. He said if the galvanized aluminum bleachers are an issue there is a colorful, cheaper option.
“The backside of the bleachers could have a powder coating finish on the back and underside,” he said.
The 5,500-seat community stadium plans to break ground later this month. Bids for the project were approved at the July 1 school board meeting. Verhoff said the lone remaining portion of the process is to close on its land sale of the current stadium and adjacent land.
