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Plans for the new Cass Tech High called for a football field without the traditional track surrounding it because space was so tight.School's new $2.5 million field called unsafe
Cass Tech cancels home football games; official says fence is dangerously close to playing field.
There's 15 feet between the sidelines and the fence and the distance between the fence and the back of the end zones is even closer.
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DETROIT -- Cass Technical High has a brand new $2.5 million football field, but its team isn't allowed to play on it.
Detroit Public School officials have turned out the lights indefinitely on the school's home football schedule after playing only one game Sept. 9. Lafayette Evans, director for Health and Physical Education for the Public School League, says "it's too dangerous" for the team to play on the field.
Because space was so tight on the school's site on Second Street, district officials decided to build the field without the traditional track surrounding it.
The issue, Evans said, is the distance between the sidelines and the fence that separates the field from the stands -- 15 feet -- and the distance between the fence and the back of the end zones, which is even closer. Besides the buffer zone, coaches and the school's principal also have questioned the safety of the bleachers.
"It just crushed my dreams not to have a home field; this is my senior year," said defensive end Chris Bellomy. "There were too many ditches and holes out there. My coach (Thomas Wilcher) stuck his arm in one, and it came all the way up to his elbow. The fences were so close that if you really got tackled and went down the sidelines, you'd be done for."
Officials who oversaw the construction of the $115 million school say they are rechecking but believe the field is up to par.
The Michigan High School Athletic Association has no set guidelines on the distance between the field of play and a fence or any other barrier. The National Federation of State High School Associations shows the minimum distance must be 15 feet.
"It's a commonsense issue and a safety issue," said John Johnson, communications director of the association. "We don't have anything in writing. Nowhere do we have guidelines.
"You don't have that many football fields that don't have tracks around them."
"To the naked eye it may seem small because it doesn't have the typical buffer between the running track and bleachers," said Joe Graf, program director of the Program Manager Team, a group of private companies overseeing the district's $1.5 billion bond construction program.
"As far as we are concerned the field is properly constructed. We believe these buffers are appropriate."
By comparison, there is 27 feet from sideline to wall at Spartan Stadium and 30 feet from the end zone to the wall, according to John Lewandowski, associate athletic director.
If it is determined that there needs to be more of a buffer at Cass Tech, there is some room that could be created by taking out part of the pedestrian walkway outside the fence, Graf said. Or they could add padding to the fence.
"It can be accommodated," Graf said.
Cass Tech Principal George Cohen also expressed concerns over the safety of the facility's bleachers, according to Frank Adams, the project manager for Cass Tech. Cohen couldn't be reached for comment late Monday.
"The principal raised the issue," Adams said. "They are worried that it could collapse. We don't think it's the case."
The new high school is a six-story, 440,000-square-foot building. The district tried to purchase more land in the area but was unable to, said Cleophus Boyd, spokesman for Project Manager Team. The district talked about tearing down the old Cass Tech for more room, but the school's alumni pushed the district to save the building.
You can reach Christine MacDonald at (313) 222-2269 or cmacdonald@detnews.com and Tom Markowski at (313) 223-4633 or tom.markowski@detnews.com.
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The Detroit News.
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