An agreement to sell the 75-year-old Ladd-Peebles Stadium in Mobile to the state’s largest school system will depend largely on whether the venue can maintain a minimum capacity of 30,000 people.

But a larger concern could be looming with the timing of the agreement’s approval and the field improvements officials say are needed ahead of the fast-approaching football season.

The revised $10 million agreement, which still needs approval from the Mobile City Council and the Mobile County School Board, was discussed at length Tuesday during the council’s preconference meeting. Those talks occurred one week after the council’s three Black members abruptly adjourned the council meeting over concerns about the future of the stadium.

The three council members, however, feel comfortable going forward with the revised agreement that preserves a minimum stadium seating capacity of 30,000. At that capacity, they say that other than high school football games can take place inside an aging venue that once hosted the Senior Bowl and University of South Alabama football. The stadium’s capacity is slightly more than 40,000.

“I’m very optimistic,” said Councilman William Carroll, who said he is “OK” with the current proposed agreement that was hatched over the weekend among attorneys representing the school system and the city. “There is a win-win in here for everyone, especially the school system.”

Crunch time

But logistical difficulties loom on when the agreement can be approved by the two government agencies, and if the school board is even on board with the revised proposal.

Pressure is also mounting for the start of repairs to begin to the stadium’s field so it can be ready for high school football games this fall. The repairs are believed to be contingent on the agreement’s approval by both the council and school board.

The biggest snag appears to be on the timing of both governmental bodies meeting and potentially approving the revised agreement. The school board does not meet until July 24. Their next work session is July 19.

At least two council members said they do not feel comfortable approving the revised agreement until the school board votes on how they want to proceed. The council is scheduled to meet one day after the school board’s meeting, which would mean the earliest the agreement can be ratified is on July 25. The government boards could move quicker if they call for a special meeting.

Danny Corte, executive director with the Mobile Sports Authority, said the concern he has is with timing. If both government entities do not approve the agreement soon, he said, the stadium could be in jeopardy of not being able to host football this fall.

Ladd-Peebles Stadium is scheduled to host the home football games for Murphy and Williamson high schools. The two schools are scheduled to begin their football season during the last week of August.

The stadium will also host the Gulf Coast Challenge on October 7, which is a football game pitting two Historically Black Colleges and Universities – Jackson State versus Alabama A&M.

“We have to replace the field,” said Danny Corte, executive director with the Mobile Sports Authority. “It’s 12-13 years old. I don’t think it was maintained very well. The replacement is a 45-day project, and that’s if we have good weather. We are in hurricane season, which worries me.”

Under the proposed agreement, the city would spend $800,000 on “goods, services and utilities at the stadium.” In addition, the city would appropriate $2.3 million on October 1, to pay for stadium renovation costs. Additional funds would be spent on October 1 on subsequent years. The city’s fiscal year begins on October 1.

The revised agreement stipulates that the school board assume full responsibility for operating Ladd-Peebles Stadium going forward, and to handle future repairs and improvements.

The agreement requires stadium improvements to be subject to final approval of the school board and the city.

Waiting on school board

City Attorney Ricardo Woods, during the council’s pre-conference session, said that “time is of essence” and encouraged elected officials to vote soon on the agreement.

But Councilmen Joel Daves and Ben Reynolds said they felt uncomfortable voting on the agreement when the school board has not indicated their collective interest on moving proposal forward.

The council voted on an initial intergovernmental agreement to sell the stadium to the school system last month. The revised proposed agreement would supersede that proposal. But the school board has yet to have any formal vote on any of the city’s proposals.

“We’ve heard a lot of speculation of wants, needs and desires from the superintendent but we’ve heard nothing official from the school board,” said Reynolds. “We’ve made some of our concerns known and agreed to an agreement. If they want a different agreement, they need to get it on their agenda and pass something … and put those negotiations to the test. I’m not doing anything until I hear from the school board.”

Daves agreed, saying that Mobile Mayor Sandy Stimpson’s administration has “heard form the superintendent” of the Mobile County School System – Chresal Threadgill – but that the school board “has not acted.”

“I think that it’s time for the school board to act,” he said. “We sent them a sale and an intergovernmental agreement. They need three votes to send it back to us. It keeps getting delayed.”

School board member Sherry Dillihay-McDade, who represents the area that includes Ladd-Peebles Stadium, said the board will likely weigh in on the proposal on July 19, during the work session. She said she hopes the agreement is on the board’s July 24 agenda for a vote.

“We know we have to dot our I’s and cross our T’s,” she said. “We want to make sure the board is able to make Ladd Stadium a safety area for kids to go and play sports and to house other events for the city as far as entertainment (events) and HBCU games. That is our goal, to make it a viable (venue).”

Dillihay-McDade, meanwhile, said she was “excited” over the council formally approving on Tuesday a 99-year lease on property adjacent to Ladd-Peebles Stadium for the construction of a new high school football venue for Williamson High School.

She said the school system has already submitted plans for the stadium’s construction, and was awaiting approval from the state before putting the construction out for bid. The stadium, however, will not be ready for the 2023 football season.

“We’ve secured Ladd-Peebles to house Williamson for the home games and pay for all of the expenses for them playing at Ladd,” she said. “That will be their home stadium (this year).”