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Final appointments for Doc Harris

The Columbian
Published: October 28, 2009, 12:00am

Camas landmark set to get facelift at season’s end

CAMAS — Doc Harris Stadium, as we know it, will soon be going into seclusion, taking some time away from the public eye.

It hopes for a splashy return to the spotlight in September, with a new look, a new lease on life.

Doc Harris Stadium, as we know it, might be scheduled to be torn down, but it is not going away for good. It is merely getting a facelift, one that school officials say will benefit the district, the community, and the county.

“There is a lot of tradition there, but I won’t be sad to see it go in terms of managing it,” Camas athletic director Terry Cavender said, referring to the old structure. “It’s still going to be Doc Harris Stadium. I can only be happy for what’s going to be good for the community.”

While improvements have been made through the years, the current grandstand was originally built in 1959. The district, along with other high-profile members of the Camas community who formed a committee for a stadium project, argued successfully that the entire facility needed an overhaul in order to host large-scale events such as football games, graduation, and the possible return of state tournament soccer.

In February of 2007, district voters approved a bond that included funds to replace Doc Harris Stadium.

“The new Doc Harris Stadium was a very popular component of the bond issue,” according to Heidi Rosenberg, projects manager for Camas schools. “There was widespread support for its inclusion in the bond.”

Rosenberg said the latest estimate for the stadium project was $7 million.

“It is a Camas landmark, but we’ve outgrown it,” Cavender said. “We do not have seats for our crowd. To get from the main entrance to the main part of the stadium, you have to walk through a mob of folks. Our district has grown. Our fan base has grown. We have inadequate facilities on the visitor’s side.”

The final regular season football game scheduled at the stadium should bring those points more into focus. Cavender said Friday’s contest between Union and Camas might be the biggest crowd in the stadium’s history. The two teams are 7-1, 4-0 in league, and will be playing for the Class 3A Greater St. Helens League title.

Fans have been talking about this match-up all season. Cavender’s advice: Get there early. The gates will open at 5:30 p.m. for the 7 p.m. game.

“I wouldn’t necessarily say you have to be there right at 5:30, but don’t get there at 7,” Cavender said.

Because of the football team’s success, and with the possibility that the girls soccer team will be home for state playoff games, this Friday will not be the final contests at the stadium before construction begins. The Camas football team is already assured of a home playoff game on Nov. 6 or 7. If Camas wins the league title and also wins that first playoff game, there could be as many as two more home football games. The soccer team’s last possible home game would be Nov. 14.

“We will shut the stadium down as soon as we play our last game,” Cavender said.

The current facility has seating for approximately 1,650 fans, including the visitor’s side. The new Doc Harris will have close to 2,900 seats for the home side alone — with no posts so no viewing obstructions — and more than 800 seats for the visitors. (There are plans to cover the visitor’s side, as well, but that decision has not been finalized.)

The stadium will have a new press box along the top rows of the grandstand, as well as a locker room that can handle 100 student-athletes, and a visiting locker room. It also will make getting around a little easier for some of its customers.

“One of the huge shortcomings of our stadium right now is we are not able to cater to our elderly population and those with some handicaps,” Cavender said. “We’ll add an elevator and a ramp.”

Construction is scheduled to last through next summer.

“We expect to be done in August, but we’ll set up a schedule with our first two games on the road just to make some clearance time,” Cavender said, referring to next September.

Construction will mean a shift for the Camas boys soccer team in the spring. The Papermakers will play at Cardon Field, a facility on the high school campus that hosts junior varsity and freshmen football, as well as track and field.

Because the track and field team uses Cardon Field for practice, the soccer team will have to find another place to train.

“It’s going to be tough, but it’s something you have to live through,” Camas soccer coach Roland Minder said.

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But Minder also is excited about the future, with the new Doc Harris Stadium.

“I think it’s a great, modern design. I think it’s going to be a lot more functional,” Minder said. “It’s going to allow us the possibility to try to host another Final Four.”

Doc Harris Stadium did host the semifinals and finals in boys soccer in 2003 and 2004. Camas made it to the finals in 2003. The stadium, even with additional temporary seating, was packed to its limits.

By next year at this time, the limits will change at Doc Harris, the new Doc Harris Stadium.

Columbian staff writer Marissa Harshman contributed to this report.

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