HAMILTON — Hamilton High School’s Virgil Schwarm Stadium recently received a facelift.
New home and visitor press boxes were installed at the facility that was built in 1994. The installation began last week and was completed on Wednesday.
“We are very streamlined,” Hamilton athletic director Missy Harvey said of the design of the home press box that has a 24-person capacity. “The blue flooring was my personal touch.”
Harvey said minor cosmetic improvements — along with electrical and tech work — are being made to both press boxes, and those should be wrapping up within days.
“I’m excited. We’re all excited to show this thing off,” she said. “Let’s be honest, it was due for an upgrade. The old press boxes were very outdated.”
The press box project was part of the Hamilton School District’s five-year plan, and the final cost once fully completed is expected to be around the $275,000 range, according to Harvey.
Harvey said the press boxes will be functional and ready for usage at the beginning of the 2023 fall sports season when Hamilton hosts Badin in football on Aug. 18.
“That will be the first time we will see it being used. That’s going to be really cool,” Harvey said. “There’s going to be a lot of people here that night. That will be the night that this will be on display. We will have a lot of alumni here and a lot of people who will want to come through to check it out.”
The home press box has one large main area with two smaller rooms on each side, as well as two outside decks and an outside top deck.
The visitors press box seats seven and had a handicap accessible ramp installed.
“I really think the district did a great job of meeting our needs and staying within a financial budget that they were comfortable with,” Harvey said.
Virgil Schwarm Stadium is used for football and soccer games, track meets, band competitions and concerts. The field was resurfaced in the summer of 2007 with turf.
VIDEO: https://youtu.be/0tDwJIfzyEA
