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Some South Marion High Schoolfootball home games won't be played on the campus this season because of multiple voids discovered under the field.
Marion County Public Schools officials on Aug. 7 said the voids were found at seven different spots under the football field.
Voids were described by school officials as an empty area underground, which could turn into a sinkhole if not addressed properly. They were detected by contractors using radar in early June.
Usually, before a building is erected, contractors will perform ground samples to see if the site is safe. In this case, none was done because there wasn't going to be a building on a football field, officials said.
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Work is presently being done on the field and it's expected to be wrapped up some time in October.
In the meantime, the school's football games will be held on different Marion County high school grounds when available, school officials said.
The cost to fix the issue is $617,917, and the funds were approved by the school board.
Wharton-Smith Inc., a Sanford construction company, won the contract to build the school.
Located at 1350 SW 165th St. near Marion Oaks, the school was built at a cost of more than $180 million. It sits on 115 acres and is projected to open Monday, Aug. 10, at its capacity of 2,011 students, according to school officials. Once a third floor is completed, the school will be able to have approximately 2,711 students.
The school's funding came from "dollars borrowed by the Marion County School Board and secured through Certificates of Participation, a popular financing method for government entities. Local millage proceeds will also pay some of the construction costs," officials said.
The groundbreaking was in December 2024. The school was built to relieve enrollment pressure from other schools, officials said.
Contact Austin L. Miller at [email protected]
This article originally appeared on Ocala Star-Banner: South Marion's first football season hits road after home stadium reconstruction
Continue reading...
Marion County Public Schools officials on Aug. 7 said the voids were found at seven different spots under the football field.
Voids were described by school officials as an empty area underground, which could turn into a sinkhole if not addressed properly. They were detected by contractors using radar in early June.
Usually, before a building is erected, contractors will perform ground samples to see if the site is safe. In this case, none was done because there wasn't going to be a building on a football field, officials said.
2026 HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL: Ocala, Marion County team-by-team schedules
HIGH SCHOOL BASEBALL: Off to Miami, Trenton Ramsey's swansong lives up to hype, leads All-County team
FROM THE ARCHIVES: Marion County School Board moves forward with new high school
Work is presently being done on the field and it's expected to be wrapped up some time in October.
In the meantime, the school's football games will be held on different Marion County high school grounds when available, school officials said.
The cost to fix the issue is $617,917, and the funds were approved by the school board.
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Wharton-Smith Inc., a Sanford construction company, won the contract to build the school.
Located at 1350 SW 165th St. near Marion Oaks, the school was built at a cost of more than $180 million. It sits on 115 acres and is projected to open Monday, Aug. 10, at its capacity of 2,011 students, according to school officials. Once a third floor is completed, the school will be able to have approximately 2,711 students.
The school's funding came from "dollars borrowed by the Marion County School Board and secured through Certificates of Participation, a popular financing method for government entities. Local millage proceeds will also pay some of the construction costs," officials said.
The groundbreaking was in December 2024. The school was built to relieve enrollment pressure from other schools, officials said.
Contact Austin L. Miller at [email protected]
This article originally appeared on Ocala Star-Banner: South Marion's first football season hits road after home stadium reconstruction
Continue reading...
