Officials at the University of Tennessee at Martin are taking precautionary measures after a routine inspection identified some issues with the school’s ROTC building — which also serves as visitors seating for Hardy M. Graham Stadium.
In a press release, the school announced that the building will close “until more detailed inspections are made and the issues are resolved,” meaning that those seats, as well as concessions and restrooms located on the visitors-side, will be closed until further notice.
About 1,200 seats will be affected by the closure, but events at the stadium will continue as planned. The release said that the stadium, which is also the home field of Westview High School, will host its first game of the season on Friday when Westview hosts Dresden High School. All UT-Martin Skyhawks home games will be hosted at Graham Stadium, as well, beginning with the season opener on Aug. 29.
The issues identified in the inspection included “structural and safety issues,” but no additional details were provided.
“Our first concern is safety, both for spectators and ROTC Building users,” chancellor Dr. Keith Carver said in the release. “We look forward to correcting these problems and resuming use of an important university building.”
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