While issues with how much parking, if any, will be available in the lot in front of Wayne Jamison Field in time for the first soccer and football contests of the season, school officials aren’t nearly as worried about the construction of the new restrooms for the same facility. Although not a guarantee, two key individuals associated with the project both think they’ll be ready when play starts later this summer.

 

Both Harrison County Superintendent of Schools Mark Manchin and Bridgeport High School Principal Mark DeFazio believe work is progressing strongly enough that the restrooms will be ready. As part of the agreement with the contractor – City Construction – the restrooms were to be finished in early August.

 

City Construction was the only bidder, and the successful bidder, on the roughly $17 million new Johnson Elementary School being built. The contract bid called for an early completion to restrooms at Jamison Field as the existing restrooms were demolished due to them being in the footprint of the new facility.

 

“I’m incredibly pleased with the progress on the entire project and if you want to see for yourself you only need to drive by to see how quickly things are taking place and that includes the bathrooms,” said Manchin. “One of the highest priorities for the early part of the project are those bathrooms. The block is going up and going up quickly on it.”

 

The restroom building, which sits in a portion of the parking are right inside the gate of Jamison Field, was something that DeFazio was wanting to replace prior to the Johnson project. The new building not only sped up the process, but allowed it to be done without a grassroots fundraising effort so frequently used for projects at the facility.

 

DeFazio, like Manchin, believes they’ll be ready when the first games are played as part of the regular season at Jamison Field.

 

““I really and truly believe the restroom facility will be done, but understand that we’re not talking about having it done just for our football team. We have two good soccer programs and we have middle school programs that will have fans needing to utilize that restroom facility as well so if it’s not ready then they’ll have issues to,” said DeFazio. “Based on everything I’ve seen and have been told, that part of the project should be fine.”

 

And if it’s not?

 

“If it’s not ready, then we’ll get (portable toilets). People don’t seem to mind them at WVU games so if we have to go that route then that’s the route we’ll go,” said DeFazio. “I just don’t think we’ll have to.”