Kirkwood High's Lyons Stadium Project Tabled

The Kirkwood Board of Education opted last week to table the decision surrounding the next steps of a renovation of Kirkwood High School's E.L. Lyons Memorial Stadium.

After the $2.4 million project was approved by the board in December, the board sent out a request for bids with an aim of tackling the redevelopment this summer. Renovations include restrooms, press box, concession stands and ADA-compliant bleachers and seating.

"The bids are higher than we expected," Superintendent Dr. Tom Williams said at the board meeting last week. "Now we're going to make a decision whether we have to go back and look at the complete scope of the projects, scale it way back, or whether we table or reject the bids and just start over."

Williams said he hoped enough private funds could be raised to move forward with the renovation project.

"We were very disappointed when we opened up the bids," Board President Dr. Scott Stream said. "They came in 25 percent higher than what we had expected."

The Board opted to step back and review the scope and financial components of the project.

"This project needs to get done," Stream added. "We have a major safety and a major ADA issue at that stadium and it needs to be done. Unfortunately we are not in a position tonight to move forward with this project."

Stream said a new time frame would be set in the near future.

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