A new era for Houck Stadium

Crews began demolition of the south grandstand at 91-year-old Houck Stadium last week.

It was a seminal moment for the university and its athletic program, culminating years of history for generations of Redhawks and Indians fans. But efforts are underway to have the first phase of a south grandstand with new seating bowl, restrooms and concession areas by the fall.

We knew the day was coming when Houck Stadium would need to be replaced, but we certainly didn't expect it in 2021.

SEMO football was set to open its season at home on Sept. 2 against rival Southern Illinois University. But a site visit just days before from Thornton Tomasetti Inc., a firm that had been contracted to assess Houck's condition, revealed the south grandstand presented "an unsafe and imminently hazardous condition for occupancy."

Two earlier assessments of the stadium had also found deteriorating concrete and other deficiencies, which led to the August assessment. Because of these previous reports, the university had started contingency plans should Houck's south grandstand become unavailable. When that decision came down 24 hours before the season opener, the team put the plan in motion.

President Carlos Vargas and athletic director Brady Barke, along with the entire athletic team, did an impressive job of facilitating the transition under challenging circumstances. It was an all-hands-on-deck effort.

Now the challenge will be finding the funding to complete Houck Stadium, which will be constructed in phases.

This is an important project, not only for the university but for Cape Girardeau.

But most importantly, we're thankful steps were taken to identify the safety deficiencies of the south grandstand, preventing what could have been a tragic situation on campus.