Community effort concludes just in time for Black Knights football
Robbinsville – The first efforts began at 1:45 p.m. Thursday, June 29, just two hours after a pair of local boards agreed to the idea.
By 5 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 17, a major undertaking that would take months to complete elsewhere had progressed far enough for football to be contested on the Bob Colvin Field sitting below – in a span of just 49 days.
A pair of season openers progressed as scheduled, with the JV Black Knights hosting Mountain Heritage just 90 minutes later; and the varsity squad welcoming East Surry the following evening. Fans were able to file into historic Modeal Walsh Memorial (Big Oaks) Stadium and enjoy their beloved football games as usual.
Even if they had to sit on temporary, aluminum bleachers – the end that justified the means.
Through an open-records request, The Graham Star learned that as of Aug. 15, $556,586.85 has been awarded to various companies to get the job done. Graham County Schools had paid $145,000 toward the effort; the remaining $411,586.65 was in the hands of Graham County itself – which pledged $250,000 to the cause, dipping into funds originally set aside to pay on the construction of Robbinsville High School (a note opened when the institution opened at its current location off Sweetwater Road in January 1993, but was paid off earlier this year).
Another $161,586.65 in payments was still outstanding; and that’s not including the donation of equipment, labor and materials supplied by three local contractors: Adams Contracting, K & B Land Clearing, and Lovin Contracting. There is no way to even ballpark an exact number, but at least $400,000 is a safe bet.
The biggest line item was the $395,000 expenditure to construct the retaining wall supporting the new seating area – a task completed by Nashville-based Tennessee Erosion Control.
Next in line was $71,350 to Southeastern Seating, which rounded up a 1,600-seat system that finally arrived at the field for installation Aug. 11. The seating was to be a combination from the Tampa Bay Buccaneers training facility in Florida with a set that was last housed at a rodeo in Nebraska – but the latter was mostly destroyed by a tornado near the conclusion of the event.
But where there is a will, there is a way. More bleachers were procured – assembled from several locations across the Southeast – and by Aug. 17, all but one section had been installed.
“The Graham County Board of Commissioners would like to thank all the volunteers, the school and the citizens of this county, for coming together to ensure that our football stadium was ready for the season opener,” read a statement provided to the Star on Monday. “The commitment and determination shown was the reason for achieving this goal. We truly live in one of the best places on Earth. We are dedicated in helping our youth and look forward to our Black Knights season.”
Graham County Schools had began noticing perilous sections of the former seating during a fall 2022 inspection and made repairs to help weather the remainder of the football season. It was during a spring pass that eyebrows were further raised: the bottom row of the concrete structure – which was installed in 1981 – was shifting downward, due to incorrect placement in the beginning. As such, the premise of fans sitting on the stands for another year of football – without the problem being addressed – could have been disastrous; the bleachers were on the verge of crumbling forward in a “domino” effect.
Asheville-based Kloesel Engineering condemned the seating May 15, just nine days before the planned baccalaureate service at the stadium; and 11 before the Class of 2023 graduation exercise. The events had been moved to the stadium as a result of the pandemic in 2020, but hastily had to return to the respective former host locations of Robbinsville First Baptist Church and the Robbinsville High School gymnasium.
Throughout the week leading up to kickoff, Black Knights players and staff alike were on-site laying sod on the home sidelines. Straw and netting was set Aug. 16, to blanket what had been churned into dirt amidst the scramble to complete the task.
"Graham County Schools appreciates all the local contractors, agencies and community members who worked tirelessly to prepare for the Knights to host home games this year," said superintendent Angie Knight. "All of Graham County is touched in some way by Black Knight pride and this is certainly an accomplishment.
"As we look toward the future, we are already making plans to replace the temporary bleachers for next season."
Those involved in pulling off the improbable were recognized at a pre-game meal Friday, as well as on the field at halftime of the East Surry/Robbinsville match-up.
Football under the Big Oaks was truly was a gametime decision – except to those who believed from the get-go the project would be a success.