Waukegan changes game site locations

Updated: September 17, 2011 12:12AM

As things turned out, Glenbrook South football fans planning to attend the Titans’ game at Waukegan on Thursday, Oct. 6, won’t need to use their MapQuest apps. after all.

Waukegan called an audible and changed the location of the game from a city park back to the high school’s field.

The Titans and Bulldogs are playing that Thursday instead of Friday because of a religious holiday.

Waukegan’s field has no lights and has regular grass, while the Waukegan Park District’s new facility -- SportsPark – has lights and artificial turf.

What SportsPark doesn’t have is bleachers or a press box or an entrance gate to the field.

On original schedules, Waukegan planned to play the game at SportsPark and bring in temporary bleachers to accommodate 1,500 fans. But upon delving further into the project, school officials realized that playing a game at the park, which is miles away from the high school’s field, was not economically or logistically feasible.

So, Waukegan will host Glenbrook South at the high school’s field (Lewis Ave., north of Washington Street), with the sophomore game at 5 and the varsity game at 7:30. Portable lights will be rented for the night.

Here’s Waukegan athletic director Sam Taylor’s statement on the change of venue.

“The change in venue allows Waukegan High School to save several thousand dollars, and it allows the school and District 60 staff to more easily ensure a safe and fun environment.

“During the summer, Waukegan High School was granted free use of Sports Park’s field and lights by the Waukegan Park District. The Sports Park lacks an adequate amount of bleacher space, however, and the cost to provide temporary seating for more than 1,500 fans far exceeded estimates.

“The games will be held at Weiss Field (Waukegan’s home field, located at the high school) with the use of less-expensive temporary lights, which will illuminate the field during the night games. The switch to Weiss Field, where Waukegan High School plays all of its home football games, will also allow for easier access to locker rooms for players and easier access to restrooms for fans.

“We appreciate the Waukegan Park District’s generosity in offering their fields to us, but after extensive research we feel it would more cost effective and convenient to have the games at Weiss Field.”

Waukegan is 2-1 on the season with games the next two weeks against Deerfield and Niles West. The Bulldogs haven’t qualified for the IHSA playoffs in a decade.

© 2012 Sun-Times Media, LLC. All rights reserved. This material may not be copied or distributed without permission. For more information about reprints and permissions, visit www.suntimesreprints.com. To order a reprint of this article, click here.