By Kyle Auger
Sports Editor

As everyone has noticed, the bleachers have changed, and it has become clear to many that its current state is not an improvement.

They appear flimsy, cheap and are an eyesore. However, this is not the final product, as big changes are due to come at Alumni Field.

“No, it is not permanent by any means. It is a temporary fix. We plan on changing the whole thing,” said athletic director Dan Twomey.

The current seating arrangement is also a safety hazard. At last week’s football game a student’s foot went straight through one of the planks creating a huge chunk of wood on the floor and splinters jutting out of the bench.

“It’s scary. The bleachers are definitely not safe and need to be fixed,” said the victim, junior Steven Oden.

Accidents like this are clearly a catalyst for change to improve student safety.

“We would like to get completely new seats entirely. They would be aluminum and reach down to the sideline,” said Twomey.

Although the idea seems best case, it will be a while before we will see the new grandstand and it is not even confirmed that the project will even be ratified.

“It’s all depending on if it goes through the town warrant process, which means passing a vote at the next town meeting,” said Twomey.

When these seats will make their debut is still in the air, however, there is an estimated time of completion. Per word of Twomey, they should be installed by next school year in the fall.

The aluminum bleachers would be an improvement in almost every category. They are immune to weather and rot. They would also be an investment in the future of the stadium. The games are huge sources of income for the school so it only fair to maximize fan comfortability.

Even though there does not seem to be issues with the change, it will come at the detriment of an age old tradition at WA, the yearly painting of the bleachers completed by the seniors, which has not been done this year, hence the “12” on the bleachers, which should have been updated.

This move towards aluminum is a popular one, as the new bleachers have been installed at different high schools and colleges around the state and specifically in the Dual County.