Built in 1956, Gallaspy Stadium has long been a source of pride for the Dallas High School community.
In recent years, though, the covered wooden structure at Ron August Field began falling into disrepair. The stands in the student section, more exposed to the elements, became so unstable that school officials cordoned them off. The stadium was on the brink of being condemned.
“For the past 20 years, it's been a rolling complaint of people saying, 'I don't feel safe there. I don't want to go up there,'” athletic director Ron Snively said. “I don't think we would've been able to continue housing fans if we kept it in this condition.”
But any talk of replacing the structure with a new grandstand was met with resistance.
“People were just adamant that something had to be done about it, yet they weren't willing to give it up,” Snively said. “People started putting their feet in the ground. It's really hard to give up the legacy that is Gallaspy Stadium.”
This summer, as part of a district bond, the stadium is getting a long-overdue facelift. Instead of going with aluminum stands, like so many other high school stadiums, Dallas is rebuilding with wood, using the skeleton of the old structure. The expansive roof, re-engineered 25 years ago as part of an upgrade, is being reinforced..
“It's all natural wood bleachers,” Snively said. “It was layered in chipping paint that goes all the way back to the '50s. Now we're going to have a natural wood finish with a really elegant appeal to it. Wood is expensive. We were able to get a contract that made sense.”
The project appears to be coming in under the proposed $5.5 million price tag. The school has scheduled a ribbon-cutting ceremony for Aug. 21 and expects the stadium to be ready for the football home opener Sept. 11.
The stadium's capacity will remain at about 750.
“It was already one of the bigger stadiums in the conference,” said Snively, a 2008 Dallas graduate.
The stadium is part of a series of school improvements in the last decade that also includes artificial turf on the main field and new tennis courts. Snively said the school is hopeful to add a new stadium scoreboard.
“Ten years ago, we had an old stadium with a grass field,” he said. “We were able to get turf, now we're upgrading the stadium and looking at the scoreboard.
“For a community that's always felt like we're on the bottom of the barrel, now it feels like we have a lot to be thankful for and be proud of. These kids don't know what they have.”
Philomath turf plan
Philomath is making steady progress in its effort to install artificial turf on its baseball and softball fields.
After years of fundraising, organizers are within about $80,000 of their goal, according to the Philomath News. The project's original estimate was near $600,000, but after changes to the plan, that number has been reduced to about $506,000.
“We are actually really, really close to getting everything that we need,” baseball coach Levi Webber told the Philomath News. “It’s getting us to the precipice of being able to actually see the end in sight.”
The Philomath Baseball Association raised $60,000 to $70,000 in the spring. In-kind donations also have helped reduce costs.
Webber said he is hopeful to break ground on the project this fall and have the fields ready for next season.
Lincoln continues record surge
For the third time since the end of high school track season, Lincoln's Ellery Lincoln lowered her state record in the 1,500 meters with her performance in the Prefontaine Classic on July 4 at Hayward Field.
The University of Oregon-bound Lincoln, who will be a senior this year, clocked 4:07.06 to finish third at the meet. After running 4:12.16 to break the state record during her junior season, Lincoln ran 4:09.13 and 4:07.99 in two June meets.
Heard to coach at SOU
Former Crater girls basketball coach David Heard has been hired as the interim women's coach at Southern Oregon University, his alma mater.
In 2023, Heard retired after 34 years in the Central Point School District and began volunteering at Southern Oregon, assisting with basketball operations and recruiting. He will fill the void left by the resignation of coach Carlotta Kloppenburg-Pruitt, who went 134-31 in five seasons.
Heard coached Crater's girls team for 12 seasons between 1995 and 2017, going 255-85 and helping the Comets win six state tournament trophies. He served as Crater's athletic director in his last 11 years at the school, earning OSAA 5A athletic director of the year honors in 2023.
jerryu@osaa.org
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