SUMNER COUNTY, Tenn. (WKRN) — Nearly two years since their bleachers collapsed, Beech High School is at the 1-yard-line of a massive stadium renovation. 

With a total price tag north of $20 million, Beech, Portland and Hendersonville high schools have all received renovations to their football stadiums, with the core upgrade being the bleachers themselves.  

“After two years of rental bleachers and moving some games the first year and everything else, it’s going to be exciting to see,” said Sumner County’s Director of Schools, Scott Langford. 

As Langford has said since the project began, the stadiums are not “cookie cutters” of each other; each upgrade was specifically designed to enhance the gameday experience at that school.

Langford said the new bleachers are bigger, wider, and slanted differently than before, improving viewing for fans while making them easier to navigate. 

Portland’s bleacher renovations are already done. Meanwhile, Hendersonville has the most work left.

“We are moving all of the football operations -- coaches' offices, weight room, training room… all the locker rooms for football-- under [the bleachers]. And that will free up a significant amount of space for other sports,” Langford explained. 

And then there's Beech High School, ground zero for this massive and expensive bleachers project. Their transformation encompasses more than just new seats. 

“We’re building not only a big concession stand, but also bathroom facilities that are fully handicap accessible,” said Langford. “It’s really exciting. I mean, I played middle school football in this stadium… this was built on the blood sweat and tears of our community.” 

Beech will also have a designated space directly in front of the home bleachers for dance/cheer to safely perform during games.

While site work will continue at Beech and Hendersonville likely into September, Langford said all three school stadiums will be ready for Week 1 of the 2025 high school football season.

“They’re fired up, they’re ready,” he said, talking about the Beech football players. ”I can’t wait to see the kids in the student section. I can’t wait to see people coming through the middle part, to see the walk-up from the dressing room. It’s going to be such a great fan experience, it’s going to be great for this community. I think equally impressive is the kids that came before, that lived through [the bleacher collapse] as juniors and seniors.” 

Langford said the visitor-side bleachers, which is what collapsed at Beech in 2023, are also much improved at each school.

News Source : https://www.wkrn.com/news/local-news/at-the-goal-line-bleacher-renovations-at-3-sumner-county-schools-near-completion/