Home games may not be at Merrill Field this fall
According to Vice President of Student Affairs Kathy Woughter in a July 30 Alfred Today post, Merrill Field's bleachers may not be used this fall.
"Earlier this summer, the bleachers were found to have some structural deficiencies, and were closed due to insufficient load bearing capacity," Woughter said. "Almost immediately, we began looking for some interim measures to fortify the structure and re-open it for the short-term, but due to the age of the grandstand we could not come up with a safe temporary fix. As of now, the plan is to demolish the grandstand and build a new one.
"While we attempt to identify funding for a permanent set of bleachers for Merrill Field, we will most likely be filling in with temporary bleachers. We also need to find a way to re-route the electricity for the scoreboard and provide a place for visiting media and sports information staff to work from. If we can do that, we will most likely be able to host home games this year, albeit with less space for spectators. If we are not able to provide even a temporary solution, we will relocate our home football games for this season to either Alfred State College or Hornell High School. Both have agreed to partner with us to allow us to use their facilities if we need to. (Soccer can most likely stay at AU, even if football must relocate).
"We fully realize that neither solution is perfect, but it's clear, unfortunately, that we will not have a new grandstand built by the time students return.
"Updates will be sent as the details are firmed up."
