By Richard Sullins | richard@rantnc.com

Engineers who have conducted tests on the structural integrity of concrete pillars supporting bleachers on both sides of Paul Gay Stadium at Lee County High School have told Lee County Schools Superintendent Dr. Chris Dossenbach that a temporary fix to seating on the home side of the field could potentially make it useable for athletic events this spring and possibly even graduation in early summer.

But that coin has another side.

The same engineers have also concluded that damage to the columns supporting bleachers in the visitors’ section is just too extensive to repair, making seating there unsafe.

Any decision to continue using them would put the Lee County Schools district, as well as the county, on borrowed time and run the risk of a catastrophic failure. Dossenbach said the district’s only real choice is to condemn that portion of the stadium and have it demolished, followed by a rebuilding that would incorporate more modern standards of construction.

Dossenbach has provided regular updates to the school board about the findings of the engineers since the cracks were discovered during a routine inspection in October. His most recent report was presented during a regular meeting of the school board on February 13.

Initial testing over the holiday break seemed to show that the pillars were holding up well for their age, and the hope was that a bonding agent could be injected into the cracks to stop further spreading, seal them shut, and restore the stadium seating to full service shortly thereafter.

But as the health of concrete and rebar, or reinforcing, steel at the heart of each post was more thoroughly assessed through a chemical analysis process, engineers notified Dossenbach on February 9 of major concerns in the columns supporting bleachers on the visitors’ side of the stadium.

“We are waiting for a more detailed report to provide specifics,” Dossenbach reported Tuesday, “but the visitors side of the stadium will be condemned based on the findings of the second test, and most likely nothing will be able to be done to fix that issue.”

As a result, the superintendent said the entire section of seating on the visitors’ side of the 56-year-old stadium will require a complete demolition and rebuild. It’s far too early for any cost estimates, but it’s likely to be in the tens of millions of dollars.

If the school board determines a rebuild is necessary, funding from the county commissioners would have to be sought. Fortunately for the school board, Kirk Smith, Republican chairman of the Board of County Commissioners, was in the audience at Tuesday’s meeting and heard Dossenbach’s report.

Even the home side of the stadium isn’t completely in the clear, the superintendent said.

“The second test results indicated that a temporary fix would likely work (on the home side) and we could potentially begin using that side of the stadium in the near future,” Dossenbach said. “Keep in mind, though, we must await the results of the third test. But so far, those are positive for the home side and this is great news for sporting events and, of course, graduation.”

There are few families living in Lee County today who don’t have a connection of some type with Paul Gay Stadium. In its very first season in 1968, Sanford Central High School’s – the predecessor of Lee County High School – football team went undefeated on its way to a third consecutive state championship.

It’s the place where hundreds of cheerleaders stirred up crowds beneath Friday night lights to inspire those teams to greatness, and where thousands of students dressed in matching uniforms showed off the value of hard work and collaboration.

And it’s where tens of thousands of students marked their transition from the world of school to the world of work. Families crowded into that stadium to watch as their graduate walked across the stage to receive their high school diploma, the first credential that most of them would earn along their way to building the foundation for their life’s career choices and for starting families of their own.

Dossenbach said the full report has yet to be received from the engineers, but look for it to appear on future agendas of the school board this spring.