New press box at Heights almost complete
With some interior painting and electrical wiring left to do before the new press box at the Jackson Heights High School football field is complete, Larry Amon, who spearheaded the project that saw the construction of a new press box and concession stand, is pleased with what he’s seen so far.
“It’ll be there for years to come,” Amon said of the work.
Amon’s also pleased that the total project cost is likely to come in under budget. Initially, it was estimated that the total cost would be about $74,000, but in the end, the final cost will be about $5,000 less than that, he said.
But as there is still some paint and electrical work to complete, there’s still some fund-raising to be done, and donations are still being accepted for the project, which also included the renovation of the former high school weight room into a new concession stand for football games at JHHS.
“We’ve collected about $56,000 or $57,000 so far, so I’ve been real tickled about that,” Amon said. “There’s still some donations trickling in.”
The press box and concession stand project came about after the new asphalt track was installed around the JHHS football field in 2015. At that time, Amon asked school officials to consider an update to the concession stand, which was then located beneath the press box and bleachers and had no running water.
Amon then mounted a volunteer effort to raise funds to fix the concession stand, then was asked by Jackson Heights Superintendent and Elementary Principal Adrianne Walsh to consider adding an update to the press box at the top of the bleachers. Eventually, the plans changed to move the concession stand to the old high school weight room, where plumbing was available.
Amon took the project to local contractors and came back with an estimate of $74,000 to rebuild the press box and establish a concession stand in the old weight room. He then took the project to the Jackson Heights community and sought help in raising funds to get the press box and concession stand ready in time for the Cobras’ first home game.
The construction goal wasn’t quite met, he said, and it’s looking like finishing the paint and electrical work may have to wait until after the current football season is over.
“They didn’t want to do the electrical work until after the painting was done,” Amon said. “So it may have to be an after-season deal, getting it finished up, but I’m not too worried about that.”
The concession stand work is “pretty much done,” he said, and the exterior of the press box and a storage area underneath it are finished, however. What’s more, people have told him they were impressed with what he and the contractors have been able to accomplish so far.
“When people have come out and seen it, it’s brought in some more donations,” he said. “It’s kind of funny how that all works… Even the visiting teams have commented on it. They thought it looked real good.”
And while the total estimated project cost of “about $70,000” is still less than the initial estimate, Amon noted there is still a short distance to go before that cost is covered. But with the efforts of the four main local contractors — Chris Gross, Kevin Keehn, Miles Hanzlicek and Kipp Lamberson — what’s been done so far is still a welcome addition to the Jackson Heights school district.
“I had 90 days to do it before the first game, and I had to beg those guys to do it,” Amon said of the contractors. “They stepped forward and worked it in, and we’re pretty pleased about it. They did a great job. Without them doing it, it wouldn’t have gotten done.”
Tax-deductible donations for the project may be made to the Jackson Heights Educational Foundation, he said, with “press box” as the designated beneficiary of the donation. Checks may be mailed to the Jackson Heights Educational Foundation, 12692 266th Road, Holton, KS 66436.
For more information, call Amon at 364-8093 or Jim Schumann at (785) 933-3233.
