Earlier this year, when the cost of a new football stadium in the McKinney (Texas) School District was pegged at $62.8 million, some were calling it the most expensive high school stadium ever, while district officials were contending that other districts were building even more costly facilities.
Now, WFAA-TV reports, those calling the McKinney stadium the costliest have more ammunition for their argument—about seven million dollars more. The district says the price of the planned 12,000-seat stadium has climbed to $70 million.
District officials blame the increased cost on higher-than-anticipated prices for concrete and labor. Rather than curtail the project, McKinney leaders have decided to boost the budget for the stadium. The additional $7 million will come from money left over from previous bond projects. The bulk of the funding for the project comes from a $220 million bond package that voters approved earlier this year.
When the McKinney stadium was being called the most expensive ever, officials pointed to other districts in football-mad Texas that were building comparable athletic facilities. The price attached to those projects did not include infrastructure costs, McKinney officials asserted, and if they were included, the projects would be more costly.
A stadium being built in the Katy (Texas) district is estimated to cost $62.5 million, and a stadium in the Allen (Texas) district cost about $60 million.
The McKinney district plans to break ground next month on the stadium and hope to have it finished in 2017.
Video from WFAA-TV:
