web1_TTL081817railriderspresser1.jpg

SWB RailRiders, National Championship Game community ambassadors meet to discuss title game

web1_sterling.jpg

Luzerne County releases list of 2,400 properties eligible for September back-tax auction

<p>WILKES-BARRE &#8212; For at least the first two weeks of the high school football season, Wilkes-Barre Area School District&#8217;s Memorial Stadium will be closed, disrupting the schedules of several local teams.</p><p>Four area high schools call the stadium home, including the three Wilkes-Barre Area schools &#8212; GAR, Coughlin and Meyers. The fourth team that uses the stadium is Holy Redeemer.</p><p>Coughlin&#8217;s home opener Friday, Aug. 25, versus Dallas will now be switched to a road game at Dallas, the superintendent reported.</p><p>And according to Meyers&#8217; coach Jeff Labatch, his team&#8217;s opener at the stadium set for Saturday, Aug. 26, against Lake-Lehman has been moved to Aug. 25 at Lehman.</p><p>Labatch noted his team has an alternate way of entering the stadium, allowing practices to continue there. Meyers is the only district school that uses the field for practice.</p><p>&#8220;We just have to adapt and keep going,&#8221; Labatch said.</p><p>Coughlin coach Ciro Cinti had a similar message.</p><p>&#8220;If we had more home games, it&#8217;d be great, but circumstances are what they are,&#8221; he said.</p><p>GAR does not have a home game scheduled during the first two weeks of the season.</p><p>But Holy Redeemer&#8217;s first two games are scheduled to be at home, and it was not immediately clear where the Royals would now play those games. A tweet from the Royals&#8217; <a href="https://twitter.com/HRHSAthletics?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor" target="_blank">official Twitter</a> account Thursday said that updates to the schedule would be forthcoming.</p><p>The decision to temporarily close the stadium came after months of <a href="https://www.timesleader.com/top-stories/591263/superintendent-memorial-stadium-tunnel-cant-be-repaired" target="_blank">reports </a>about deteriorating conditions.</p><p>Wilkes-Barre Area Superintendent Brian Costello said in a press release that district and city officials inspected the stadium Wednesday.</p><p>After the inspection, two firms recommended closing an elevated walkway and locker room tunnel to the stadium.</p><p>Thomas Leonard, president of TGL Engineering Inc., cited a variety of structural issues with the stadium in his report. Those problems include:</p><p>&#8226; Continuing deterioration of the pedestrian walkway.</p><p>&#8226; Steel corrosion and loose bricks above the field entrance door from the locker room tunnel.</p><p>&#8226; Deterioration of a steel beam and loose concrete on the underside of the second floor of the stadium, affecting the equipment room adjacent to the home locker room.</p><p>Leonard recommended immediate closure of the walkway and locker room tunnel.</p><p>As for the equipment room, the firm suggested access by maintenance workers be limited to an &#8220;as-needed basis with protective headgear/eyewear required.&#8221;</p><p>According to Costello, the locker room tunnel will be reopened after necessary modifications are completed, namely a protective wooden shed within the tunnel, as suggested by Leonard.</p><p>Meanwhile, the elevated walkway will remain closed until further notice, Costello said.</p><p>He is expecting the stadium to reopen by the third week of the football season, or by Sept. 8.</p><style>
.neFileBlock {
	margin-bottom: 20px;
}
.neFileBlock p {
	margin: 0px 0px 0px 0px;
}
.neFileBlock .neFile {
	border-bottom: 1px dotted #aaa;
	padding-bottom: 5px;
	padding-top: 10px;
}
.neFileBlock .neCaption {
	font-size: 85%;
}
</style>
<div class='neFileBlock'>
<div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/web1_web1_TUNNELrotated-1-1.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">This file photo from Sept. 27, 2016, shows some of the deterioration that was visible at the stadium during last year&#8217;s football season. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/web1_web1_TUNNELrotated-1-1.jpg</photo0><caption0>This file photo from Sept. 27, 2016, shows some of the deterioration that was visible at the stadium during last year&#8217;s football season. </caption0><photoCredit0>Submitted photo </photoCredit0></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/web1_coughlinpittston01CMYK-1.jpg">
<div class="neCaption"></div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo1>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/web1_coughlinpittston01CMYK-1.jpg</photo1><caption1></caption1><photoCredit1>Submitted photo </photoCredit1></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/web1_MEY-Labatch.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Labatch </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo2>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/web1_MEY-Labatch.jpg</photo2><caption2>Labatch </caption2><photoCredit2>Submitted photo </photoCredit2></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/web1_Coughlin-CoachCinti.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Cinti </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo3>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/web1_Coughlin-CoachCinti.jpg</photo3><caption3>Cinti </caption3><photoCredit3>Submitted photo </photoCredit3></div></div>
<div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p>By Patrick Kernan</p><p>pkernan@www.timesleader.com</p></bylineMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><shirttailMeta><p>Reach Patrick Kernan at 570-991-6119 or on Twitter @PatKernan</p></shirttailMeta></div>

WB Memorial Stadium to be closed for start of high school football season