If you have been to Wootton’s stadium this school year, you probably noticed the renovations to the area around the bathrooms and concession stand. These renovations were funded through the MCPS budget and completely redid the deck, both to replace the aging wooden deck and make the area ADA compliant. The renovation took place during the summer to minimize disruption to stadium activity that a mid-school year renovation would have caused.
The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) prohibits discrimination against those with disabilities, and, according to the ADA website, all new stadiums must provide access to concession stands and bathrooms. Though this school’s stadium is far from new, renovating the stadium demonstrates the MCPS vision of making schools accessible for all. “They put some ramps in and made it ADA compliant, which it wasn’t before,” Athletic Director Alton Lightsey said.
In addition to making the deck ADA compliant, the renovations also made the area safer. Ask anyone who saw that area last year: The deck was clearly aging and had boards sticking out, causing a safety hazard. The renovation “gets rid of the wood deck that we had. I think it’s safer than that; I don’t know who built that deck but it had a lot of boards that were coming out and ends that were coming up,” Lightsey said.
The previous deck itself was so old that it could have collapsed, causing injury. Especially during football games but anytime there is an event at the stadium, the deck is a popular place for people to gather. “[The new deck is] better suited for especially how our football games go, because people like to congregate there and I really didn’t think that wood structure would have made it much longer,” Lightsey said.
Not only is the concession stand and bathroom area safer, but they now give the surrounding area a more uniform vibe. Without the wood deck, it now matches the gravel of the entrance to the stadium, offering a cleaner look. “Honestly, the wood deck looked random and out of place. I like the renovations a lot because it looks better now,” senior Alexander Mirzoian said.
The renovation, though well-meaning, may have accidentally made parts of it look bare. “I am [happy with it overall], the only part I’m not happy with is they put little areas where they thought grass would grow, and there’s just no chance grass will grow there. That area looks bare,” Lightsey said.
As an aging school, there are other areas that students and staff would like to see renovated in the future. This includes the concession stand and bathroom itself. Though the deck around them is now new, the two structures themselves are not. “I would like to see them tear down that whole concession stand and build a new one,” Lightsey said.
Overall, students said that this renovation was a success, improving both the looks, safety and accessibility of the deck. “I think the new deck looks a lot better, and I hope MCPS keeps renovating different things in our school as well,” senior Robert Ferris said.
