ALIQUIPPA – For years, Carl A. Aschman Memorial Stadium was known more for its history than its beauty. But, Aliquippa administrators say that come 2023, the renovated football facility will be known for both.

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With the start of a new school year approaching, construction for Aliquippa's new football field is well underway. Demolition of the stadium, which was built in the 1930s, began in late May. As the 2022 Quips team reported to training camp on Monday, the field down the hill from where they practiced, known as "The Pit" was no more.

Those who make the trip over to the legendary gridiron ground won't find many traces of the past. Only the home team's locker room, the concession stand and the press box remain standing, with everything else ― bleachers, goal posts, walking areas, etc. ― gone.

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Aliquippa Superintendent Phillip Woods says that empty space won't be there for long.

"Now that the visitors' side is down, you're going to start seeing stuff coming up," he told The Times. "We're excited about the future. We're just racing the clock at this point."

What fans can expect to see are modern goal posts, a fresh set of bleachers that will sit 3,000 fans on the home sideline, a new synthetic turf athletic field, bright new stadium lights and last, but certainly not least, a video display board that will be 25 feet wide, 8 feet tall and stand where the old away team bleachers used to be.

As far as the race against the clock goes, Woods says the goal is to have the new stadium ready by the fall of 2023. The field itself, along with the lights, goal post and scoreboard will likely be installed by the end of this current season, but the stands will take a bit longer to arrive.

"We know we're not getting the stands until the spring," Woods said. "Aluminum is basically on backorder across the country but we expect everything else ready to go much earlier. We're hoping that the team will at least be able to practice on the new field by the time the playoffs start."

He says the total bill for the project ranges from $4.3 to $4.6 million and that all of the funding has been taken care of thanks to a combination of donations, grants and the $3.5 million the district received through refinanced bonds.

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"This project won't cost taxpayers any money," Woods said. "We took bonds that we already had and refinanced them with a better credit score that allows for us to do this project without raising taxes."

Funding layout for Aliquippa's new stadium (Total project cost: $4.3-4.5 million)

Block Grant from Beaver County ($250,000)

Grassroots Grant from NFL ($250,000) (For the field turf)

Blueprints show the outline for the new facility will have a similar structure overall to the stadium's original layout and final mockups for designs on the "little details," are still in the works. Woods says a major goal for those involved in the stadium project was to ensure the history of the football program, and its old venue would be commemorated.

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One historic thing that could change, according to Woods, is the stadium's name. The district named the facility after Carl A. Aschman in 1972. While the Hall of Fame coach's legacy remains important to Aliquippa's rich gridiron history, Woods says the district is not opposed to offering up naming rights for potential sponsors.

"As it stands at this moment, nothing has changed. We haven't changed the name or even the nickname," he said. "But, as the project continues to unfold and more resources come in, and we look at revenue for future things, we might reconsider. We would definitely entertain the idea of a name change if a donor were to come in and provide additional upgrades."

"If you think about it, we've probably played at Heinz Field more than any other team aside from the Steelers or Pitt. The natural home for those ketchup bottles might be in Aliquippa, Pa."

Woods even joked that the new stadium could take on the old name of another notable football field in western Pennsylvania.

"If you think about it, we've probably played at Heinz Field more than any other team aside from the Steelers or Pitt," he said with a laugh. "The natural home for those ketchup bottles might be in Aliquippa, Pa. If Heinz would like to discuss naming rights for the stadium, I'm sure we could find a place for those ketchup bottles."

While there isn't much to show for just yet, those within the Aliquippa football program are already excited for what is to come. This fall, the defending WPIAL and PIAA Class 4A champions will play their home games at Freedom Area high school. Having no home field during a season where the expectation is another state championship can be tough, but head coach Mike Warfield says the wait will be well worth it in the long run.

"I'm very excited about it," Warfield said before one of his team's practices earlier this week. "It took a team effort from the school board, to Dr. Woods, and many others. I'm excited for the kids and the community. It's been something we've needed for years."

Both Woods and Warfield hinted at additional projects that are in the works ― ones that will benefit more athletic programs than football. Funding is currently being gathered for what the two deemed "an exciting next step" for the district and its student-athletes.

Contact Noah Hiles at nhiles@gannett.com. Follow him on twitter @_NoahHiles.

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