CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Decades-old Calvert Field, the home of East Bank Middle School football in Kanawha County, will not be in operation for football games this fall after an engineer said the home stands were not structurally sound.

Kanawha County School Superintendent Tom Williams made the decision Wednesday to move the school’s three home games this season to Riverside High School.

A few dozen East Bank supporters voiced their opposition at the Kanawha County Board of Education meeting Wednesday evening.

School officials previously met with a structural engineer in May to determine the structural integrity of the bleachers and press box of Calvert Field, and according to Williams, the report was not good.

“They said that it would be cheaper to tear everything down and rebuild it than to fix the issues they have there,” Williams said.

Williams said that since May, the county’s facilities and maintenance departments reached out to people looking to bring in metal bleachers and a press box area to get through the 2024 season. Williams said the only thing that was found for press options was a scaffolding, which was determined unsafe.

“We had the discussion this morning and I said, ‘it’s getting close to time for football to start.’ We need to make the decision now on what we’re going to do so that plans can be made for the kids to have football games for the three home games they have,” Williams said.

David Peters, East Bank Middle School’s football coach, told the BOE the community just wants their facilities fixed.

“Just fix our stuff like you’re fixing yours,” Peters told the school board. “Just fix our stuff. That’s all we want. We want to play and I’m hoping that we can reverse this decision this year and not wait until next year.”

Teresa Howell, an East Bank High School graduate, daid the decisions will affect the next generation of East Bank student athletes.

“Look in the back of the room,” Howell said. “The decisions that you’re making are going to impact those kids in the back of the room. I’m here to speak in opposition of thse kids having to go to Riverside High School to play their football games this year. It’s unacceptable.”

Calvert Field will be used for practices going forward this season, but Williams says the stadium’s under-the-stands locker room has also been deemed unsafe by facilities professionals, so student athletes will have to go back to the school building to change and use the restroom or facilities could be rented.

School members told Williams they wanted regular updates on the situation moving forward.

In its time hosting football games for East Bank High School before that school closed in 1999, Calvert Field hosted state championship winning teams in 1964 (AAA), 1971 (AAA), 1973 (AAA), 1989 (AA), 1990 (AA), 1993 (AA), and 1996 (AA).

 

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