Here’s what we’ve learned about new P-CEP athletic stadium

Once the new $11 million-plus athletics stadium is completed (reportedly by September) on the northeast corner of the Plymouth-Canton Educational Park campus, it will become an eye-catching focal point for Plymouth-Canton Community Schools.

The extent of its eye-catching appeal is still uncertain as there are no renderings/drawings of the under-construction facility available, according to a Plymouth-Canton Schools spokesperson.

When SocialHouseNews.com reached out last month to TMP Architecture, the firm that designed the stadium, to request a rendering to publish so Plymouth and Canton residents can know what to expect, we were told there are renderings, but contractually they cannot be released without the permission of the school district.

Plymouth-Canton Schools reiterated Monday they will not have access to renderings for the new facility, which is scheduled to open this September, until the construction process is further along.

A noted metro-Detroit construction professional told SocialHouseNews.com he would be “very surprised if anything of that cost could be approved without a rendering.”

Visual renderings of architectural designs, like the new P-CEP stadium, help to convey ideas and showcase projects long before they’re built, according to archisoup.com.

‘Bells and whistles’

“These renderings serve as important visual tools for architects to communicate with clients, professionals, and the public,” the website added.

While we could not secure visual drawings of the stadium, SocialHouseNews.com has learned from the TMP representative that the stadium “will have a few bells and whistles” and that its size will be larger than the west turf stadium and smaller than the east turf stadium.

The seating capacity will be approximately 1,700, with the home side offering close to 1,300 seats.

One cool amenity of the facility will be a corridor that will run from the stadium to the new addition to Phase III, which is expected to be completed in October.

The new facility will also include two team rooms and a track for track-and-field events circling the turf athletic field.

Minority-owned contractor bids?

When asked by board of education president Shawn Wilson during the Nov. 28, 2023, board of education meeting about the number of minority- and women-owned contractors who submitted bids for the project, a Smith & McCarthy, Inc. representative said there were 10 women-owned contractors who submitted bids and one minority-owned contractor who submitted bids.

Board of Trustees trustee Patti McCoin emphasized during the same presentation that the new stadium will be utilized by the district’s middle schools as well as the three high schools.

On March 10, 2020, voters in the Plymouth-Canton Community Schools’ communities passed a $275 million bond, which is addressing facility and site improvements, equity of facilities, enhancing safety and security throughout the school district, furniture and playground upgrades, school bus purchases and imminent infrastructure and technology needs at most facilities.

Ed Wright can be reached at 734-664-4657 or edwright@socialhousenews.com.