Pan American Stadium, a City Park landmark, is getting a much-needed facelift thanks to donations, FEMA funds, and the New Orleans Saints. It’s the first major renovation at the stadium in 16 years.
Contractors are racing to complete the first phase of the $3.1 million upgrades before the Friday Night Lights shine on high school football games this fall. New goal posts, netting, and a sound system will be installed, along with turf donated by the Saints.
“It’s very widely used. A lot of people call it home,” said Aubrey Champion, City Park Conservancy’s director of athletics. “It’s not the big one, but it’s more intimate and a lot of people enjoy that.”
The new turf from the Superdome is a key part of the renovation.
“To have a turf of this surface and to have a new sound system, a bright new scoreboard,” said Champion. “We have to do a lot to keep up and really pin ourselves on the map.”
Brittany Whitsell, director of charitable giving and development for the New Orleans Saints says donating the turf could save the City Park Conservancy around a half a million dollars.
“Really, it’s the most sustainable way to recycle that turf and to repurpose it,” she said.
“Over 11 schools call this their home stadium and we have close to 30 groups if you look at high schools, a lot of Hispanic soccer leagues, we have a lot of adult leagues and we even picked up a quidditch league this year,” Champion said.
Phase II includes new stadium lights. Phase III will upgrade bathrooms, locker-rooms and repair bleachers.
“There’s been a lot of memories made and now, it’s their chance to make their own memories,” Champion said.
The first phase is expected to be complete by early September in time for the start of the high school football season.
