Dye Stadium accessible for handicapped

By CHRISTOPHER SMITH

The renovations at Bobby Dye Stadium in Red Level have been completed.

In November of 2016, then-Gov. Robert Bentley awarded the community $240,000 to make Bobby Dye Stadium more handicapped accessible. The town of Red Level contributed a $20,000 match for the project.

“The work that has been done through the grant is finally finished and it looks great,” Randy McGlaun, principal of Red Level High School, said. “Of course, there are some areas that need to be worked out, but everything looks good.”

McGlaun said that they still need to replace the fence by the end zone and make the visitors’ side more accommodating for fans and coaches.

“With every project there is something after it finishes that needs to be worked on, but we will make those adjustments later on,” McGlaun said. “We are just happy that we have wheelchair access to the stadium now and elderly people will be able to be a little more comfortable at the games.”

The plans, designed by Southern Engineering Solutions of Andalusia, included the addition of handicap parking spots as well as accessibility changes to the restrooms on the home side. A new section of bleachers accommodate the handicapped, and a new five-foot walkway stretches from the end of the bleachers to the visitor side.

“We were able to access the handicap parking spaces and use the ramp during our last football season, but it wasn’t fully complete. It looks a lot better finished,” McGlaun said.