The official opening of the City of Buford Stadium draws nearer by the day, but the construction efforts remain ongoing with many benchmarks to pass.
Buford’s city manager, Bryan Kerlin, provided updates to The North Gwinnett Voice while revealing some of the amenities that will be present at the state-of-the-art facility.
The stadium, bid at $61.9 million, according to Kerlin, will feature premier audio-visual systems. The complex will have a two-sided scoreboard measuring at 3,500 square feet. The dimensions of the jumbotron will be 81 by 44 feet. For example, the scoreboard in Sanford Stadium on the University of Georgia campus (completed in 2018) is only slightly bigger at 100 by 52 feet. Along with the scoreboard, digital ribbon boards will be placed on both sides of the stands as well as in a new end zone fieldhouse.
Aside from the audio-visual element, the end-zone fieldhouse will hold space for referees, cheerleaders and coaches along with a second-story banquet hall which has a balcony overlook. Those spaces are currently held within the underbelly of Tom Riden Stadium as part of Buford Middle School.
Atop the home stands, Buford will feature 10 suites. These facilities will be outfitted with 12 stadium chairs along with amenities to support catering and “premium finishes, according to Kerlin.
“The new stadium will be great for not only the high school but the City of Buford,” Buford athletic director Tom Beuglas said. “I think it will be a great place for the people of our community to come watch games and enjoy first-class facilities. It will provide a great opportunity for local business’ to advertise, alumni to come back and meet, and Buford to continue to lead the way in providing a great experience for everyone involved.”
Kerlin said the construction project, led by Charles Black Construction Company, has faced some challenges but remained on a good track. He said the City of Buford doesn’t have a timeline for the stadium’s completion, but “will know more in a couple of months.”
