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ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — A plan for a stadium at an Anchorage high school got the go-ahead from the Planning and Zoning Commission, allowing the school district to move forward with construction.
The commission voted 7-1 on Monday for the plan affecting South Anchorage High School. It includes a series of conditions and restrictions intended to placate neighborhood fears about crowds, noise and lights, the Alaska Dispatch News (http://is.gd/CSs2HT) reported.
The conditions include limiting use of stadium lights, requiring games to wrap up by 10 p.m. and coating bleachers with sound-dampening material.
It was the second attempt by the Anchorage School District to win approval for a stadium at the school.
Funding for construction, however, is still $500,000 short.
A request for additional funding has been submitted to the state Legislature, according to Mike Abbott, the school district's chief operating officer. He said an alternate funding source has not yet been identified.
The $2.2 million already allocated to the project was secured by state Rep. Craig Johnson, R-Anchorage, following lobbying by parents and students.
With the state facing a multibillion-dollar deficit, Johnson acknowledged getting more funding would be difficult.
"The money that's there will stay," he said. "The additional money will have to stand on its merits."
Planning commission members said they were satisfied with the latest version of the stadium plan.
"For the record, the fact that South High School does not have a stadium is not the reason why we're approving this here tonight," commissioner Tyler Robinson said during the meeting. "Rather, we're reviewing it based on standards of municipal code, and I believe it achieves those."
Commissioner chair Jim Ferguson was the only no vote. He sided with neighbors who argued that a stadium was never part of the original site plan.
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Information from: Alaska Dispatch News, http://www.adn.com
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