TX Town Opens $60 Million High School Stadium

They’ll be christening a new stadium in Texas this weekend. But the price tag and who’s paying for it, is raising some eyebrows.

FOX News Radio’s Chris Hoenig has details:

Eagle Stadium in the Dallas suburb of Allen seats 18,000.  It has a 38-foot HD video screen, an indoor practice area, even some suites.  The total cost: $59.6 million bucks.  Oh yeah…it’s a high school football stadium.

(Carroll) “The stadium seems large to a lot of people, of course.  But the size of the high school, and one high school in a community of that size…it’s a little bit unusual for other parts of the country.”

Despite concerns that the money could be better spent on academics – or not spent at all – Allen’s 85,000 residents voted in favor of bonds to pay for the stadium, which school district spokesman Tim Carroll says will actually help lower local taxes.

(Carroll) “We anticipate netting at least $500,000 a year, and that money will go back to the general fund.”

Ticket prices: just $8 bucks.

Chris Hoenig, FOX News Radio.

Editor’s Note: For perspective, the Odessa, Texas stadium that inspired the ‘Friday Night Lights’ franchise cost less than $6 million to build in 1982.  Allen’s bond package – which passed with 63% voting in favor – totaled $119 million, and also pays for a 1,500-seat theater.