Soil quality at the the north part of the property is giving the Knoxville School Board concern as they discuss a possible concession stand and building at Ken Locke Stadium. The Knoxville Alumni Association-proposed shelter would be enclosed on three sides and include bathrooms and a new concession area on top of where the old swimming pool used to be. Board members expressed concern last night about both the soil’s stability and ability to hold such a structure adequately, saying that there may be excavation costs involved. They also talked about replacing the north Panther Pride wall at the stadium. Members said they know the rotting wall will have to be replaced soon, and were concerned that replacing that wall could also cause issues to the soil stability further north at the site of the proposed shelter.

Alumni Association representative Larry Rowley told the board they hope to have the project completed in time for the stadium’s 75th anniversary in 2014. He explained they hope that tiling the dirt will alleviate some of the drainage and stability issues. The board decided to have a soil engineer take a look at the location and determine how stable it is before moving ahead with the project.