Buchholz to Get Multi-Million Dollar Stadium
Buchholz High School will get its own football field after the Alachua County School Board approved a plan at Tuesday’s meeting to purchase and renovate the historic Citizens Field to be the home venue of Eastside and Gainesville high schools.
Board members Leanetta McNealy, Janine Plavac and Thomas Vu voted in favor of the Buchholz stadium. Members Tina Certain and Sarah Rockwell voted against it.
The new Buchholz stadium is estimated to cost between $15 and $16 million. The renovations to Citizens Field, which has seen few upgrades since its construction in 1948, are expected to cost between $22 million and $25 million, with the board paying the city of Gainesville $5 million to acquire the field. Total costs for both projects are expected to be nearly $40 million.
While discussions around building Buchholz a stadium have been around for a while, a last-minute amendment by Plavac helped pass the plan.
Plavac believes Buchholz should have a stadium of its own and that Citizens Field should stay the home stadium for Gainesville and Eastside.
On the other hand, Certain and Rockwell believe constructing the new stadium is fiscally irresponsible and would have preferred to only buy Citizens Field from the city. Rockwell also believes the money allocated to build the new stadium should instead be used to upgrade the athletic facilities of multiple schools in the county.
Peter McDonough, a Buchholz parent, football booster board member and track coach says he is happy to finally see the plan go into action.
“This has been an ongoing thing for us for as long as I’ve been on the board since 2019. This has been a wish and a dream,” he said. “It’s something we’ve advocated for and we’re glad to see it come to fruition. But it’s the beginning of a long process.”
McDonough has also heard the criticism leveled against the project, but believes the school board made the right decision.
“There’s been some backlash from people that want to see Citizens continue the way it is, but everybody has their own opinion, and I think the school board took that into consideration.”
The new stadium will be important for more than just football, Buchholz Athletic Director Billy Plankey said.
“This is a win for girls lacrosse, boys lacrosse, girls soccer, boys soccer, flag football,” he said. “Everyone is going to be able to use this in a way that will change the dynamics of what we have.”
No timetable is set for when construction or renovation will begin.
Category: Buchholz High School, High School Sports
