Leechburg Council has questions for school board about Veterans Stadium work

Leechburg Council would like the Leechburg Area School Board to answer questions it has concerning renovations at Veterans Stadium.

Council members Ruth Bender and Lorrie Bazella attended Wednesday’s school board meeting to ask several questions about the planned project, which calls for installing artificial turf and a running track at the 73-year-old facility.

The borough owns the field and leases it to the school district.

Two of the questions surrounded zoning and whether the lease language needs to be changed.

For instance, Leechburg laws call for 350 parking spaces for such a facility. The field, however, is located in a residential neighborhood, making it difficult to provide that number of spaces.

The solicitors for the borough and school district might also meet to discuss whether the lease’s wording should be adjusted to address the track and field.

The school district invited council members to return for the school board’s Feb. 12 meeting. It architect, AXIS Architecture PC, will review the field renovation plans.

Leechburg Area School Board members also plan to attend council’s Feb. 18 meeting.

“I don’t have the expertise that our architects have,” said school board President Neill Brady. “They are in a situation to address things like injuries on grass and field turf.”

“We can bring down drawings and see if there are any questions,” Superintendent Tiffany Nix said.

Bender also was concerned about the field’s future.

“If something should happen to the school district, who would be responsible if the turf field needs (to be) removed,” Bender said.

The state Department of Environmental Protection also is concerned with drainage that would go over the hillside into neighboring Gilpin.

The stadium opened in 1947 and was named after returning World War II veterans.