TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WTXL) - FAMU football starts on August 26th when the rattlers host Texas Southern but will repairs to the stadium be finished on time? Does the university have the funds needed for the project?
WTXL ABC 27's Stephen Jiwanmall went to FAMU to get some answers.
Football season is just two months away, but Bragg Memorial Stadium still is not ready. Officials say not to worry and the process to patch things up has gone well to the point that they're actually ahead of schedule.
Work started in April, specifically tackling concrete and structural issues in column A, which is the first eight rows closest to the field on both sides. The initial cost for project construction was $570,000, but after a design phase, the cost was actually much lower around $390,000.
Officials say the project is now fully funded, but there's still a lot of work to be done. They also say the project is now fully funded, but there's still a lot of work to be done.
"We were able to demolish all the stairs down to the structural elements, which needed to be repaired, the corrosion which had to be cleaned up and repaired. So, we have completed all that. As you can walk around the stadium and see, the new stairs have already been installed. They were fabricated, and right now, we'll be finishing up with some of the painting, some handrails and things like that," said Sameer Kapileshwari, the Associate Vice President of Facilities and Safety Division
Officials expect this first phase of repairs to be complete by the end of July, using the final few weeks before the season starts to add some finishing touches.
FAMU will continue repairs to the stadium over the next four years.
The university says the athletic department, alumni and the community helped ensure the project was fully funded.
