Whitney Stadium is tired. The list of structural problems grows yearly. The concrete seating continues to crack and shift. The restrooms are undersized and are not handicapped accessible. The roof on the concessions building is unsound and leaks.  The need for locker rooms continues to grow yearly.  Extremely cramped press boxes have inadequate technology.  Heating, cooling and plumbing systems date to the original construction and do not meet the needs of student athletes or their fans.

Huffman Track, where many high school and collegiate champions became world premier athletes, is cracked with age. Even with numerous expensive repairs, repeated resurfacing, and annual preventive maintenance, the track continues to deteriorate because of drainage problems on the field.  Without immediate and costly attention, it will be unfit for further use.

Time is not on our side.  Already high school officials have moved track meets to other venues. Dickinson has lost a West Region high school track meet to Bismarck.  Rival universities leave their best sprinters at home so they won’t sustain injuries from the running surface. Recently there was serious debate about whether to move the collegiate Dakota Athletic Conference track meet to a different city. Each lost event is another missed opportunity for our region, another loss for our businesses, and a lost opportunity for our student-athletes and their fans to compete in Dickinson. Each day that passes brings additional deterioration.  Each day that passes brings the risk of greater costs.

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