Butler County schools break ground on football stadium, gymnasium, press box
Published 6:56 pm Tuesday, January 17, 2023
Officials with Butler County Schools held a groundbreaking ceremony Friday at Greenville High School, where work on the school’s new stadium had already begun. Pictured are (left to right) Patrick Browning, head football coach and athletic director; Michael Nimmer, Butler County Schools Board President (District 1); Wayne Boswell, District 4 Board Member; Jamie Howard, principal; Eric Gomillion, District 5 Board Member; Carolyn Crenshaw, District 2 Board Member; Superintendent Joseph Eiland; and William Love, maintenance director.
Officials with Butler County Schools held a groundbreaking ceremony Friday at McKenzie School, where steel has been erected for the school’s new gymnasium. Pictured are (left to right) Michael Collins, principal; Michael Nimmer, Butler County School Board President (District 1); Wayne Boswell, District 4 Board Member; Eric Gomillion, District 5 Board Member; Carolyn Crenshaw, District 2 Board Member; Superintendent Joseph Eiland; and William Love, maintenance director.
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The Butler County School System announced Tuesday work has begun on a long-awaited and much-anticipated football stadium on Greenville High School’s campus, a new gymnasium for McKenzie School, and a new press box at Georgiana School’s Harmon Field.
Groundbreaking ceremonies were held Friday at the site of Greenville High’s stadium and the gymnasium on McKenzie School’s campus. Principals, coaches, school board members, maintenance directors and Superintendent Joseph Eiland attended the ceremonies to view work already in progress at each site.
“The projected completion date for Tiger Stadium is late July 2023,” Eiland said in a Monday press release. “The new stadium will seat approximately 5,000 fans and offer 500 premium seats with backs for home fans to reserve. MUSCO lighting with a show package will provide amazing lighting and entertainment as well.”
The school system expects McKenzie’s gymnasium to open some time in 2024. The new facility will include regulation courts for both basketball and volleyball, with seating for roughly 800 fans and students.
“The new gymnasium brings the excitement of having something athletes have been looking forward to for a while,” said McKenzie Athletic Director Ezell Powell. “To have a state-of-the-art gym and to have room for both home and visiting basketball teams is something we haven’t had here before. Players and cheerleaders take up half our current space, and the gym fills up fast, so we don’t have room for spectators to sit. So having extra room is going to be a great addition to our program.”
The school currently has no auditorium, Eiland said, and the new gymnasium will feature a stage area and serve a dual purpose by hosting school events such as assemblies and graduation ceremonies.
Georgianna School’s press box is set to arrive in late February and will bring additional space for media, coaches, and officials, Eiland noted.
“This project has been a hope for our Board of Education for some time,” Eiland said. “The Board of Education has been working with the architectural firm, McKee and Associates, for the past three years with plans for all three projects.
For questions or additional information, contact Superintendent Joseph Eiland at joe.eiland@butlerco.k12.al.us or call (334) 382-2665.
