FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Sherman, Texas Amidst rumors of a possible request for a 30 million dollar bond election to fund a new athletic complex for Sherman ISD, the Board of Directors of Downtown Sherman and Preservation, Inc. (DSP&R) voted last week to support the preservation and possible future expansion of the Historic Sherman Bearcat Stadium, a community treasure in Downtown Sherman. A presentation is currently in development that DSP&R plans to present to the SISD Board of Trustees at their regular meeting on October 18th.

“We believe that Sherman has a unique opportunity to not only preserve a highly visible community treasure, but to enhance the existing stadium and transform it into a truly extraordinary downtown venue for sports,” says Jared Tredway, Vice-President of DSP&R and project manager of David Baca Studio, a downtown architecture firm. Nestled in the side of a hill adjacent to Kidd-Key Auditorium and the Sherman Arts and Culture District, the current stadium is a WPA project that has been serving Sherman athletes for generations.

Proponents of the new sports complex suggest that flooding, lack of parking, and inadequate capacity are reasons that SISD should relocate its Friday night football games to a new stadium on the edge of town. However, according to research by DSP&R, many of these challenges are easy to overcome.

“The school district has already invested $350,000 in a state-of-the art turf field and drainage system. Additionally, there are other measures that the City of Sherman is currently studying that might dramatically affect the likelihood of devastating flooding in the area. By expanding the home-side stands up and over the existing concessions plaza, and expanding the western stands, the capacity of the stadium could easily double. Parking throughout downtown could serve the stadium, and a TAPS route could be implemented to shuttle people from more remote locations,” says Tredway. In addition, a new shared parking structure shared by the school and other government entities could also serve both the stadium and other downtown destinations.

The group considers the stadium an important fixture to downtown Sherman, the original town center and the location of city, county, state, and federal offices, professional services, shopping and cafés. Other projects in the works downtown include a major streetscape enhancement project, complete with enlarged pedestrian plazas, street, trees, and possibly decorative street lighting.

“Many towns have already learned the consequences of suburban sprawl, and are making concerted efforts to reinvigorate their downtowns. And many of these include sports stadiums or stadium restorations. For example, Wrigley Field in Chicago or Fenway Park in Boston are treasured by the residents of the cities they serve. And sports venues in other urban areas such as Dallas and Baltimore have even served to spur redevelopment in the neighborhoods in which they are built,” says Tredway. “We believe we have a unique opportunity in Sherman to create a culture where our civic and cultural monuments like Bearcat Stadium are valued and preserved. When coupled with new shops, cafes, night life, and opportunities for downtown living, downtown Sherman could become the vibrant, sustainable, mixed-use downtown neighborhood our citizens have been hoping for.”