On April 4, 2023, the school board approved a bid to repair the Mansion Park bleachers and add railings. The stadium has a seat capacity of 10,400. Throughout the school year, Mansion Park holds many athletic events and other forms of events.
Over the summer, the main renovations were updating the bleachers and adding more ramps. One of the main reasons for these additions was the concern for safety and handicap accessibility.
“We put in new ADA ramps that are longer, so that will help with wheelchair accessibility. We also included larger handicap and wheelchair accessibility in the stance for them to have better seating, and we’ve increased that seating” athletic director Phil Riccio said.
In 2021, the board also approved a renovation to have the turf replaced and track resurfaced.
“The turf had lived through its life. The reason for the turf and why it’s so important is, it lets us have multiple games, multiple contests, multiple practices on it. If that field was still grass, you wouldn’t be able to get anywhere close to the use and we get out of that now,” Riccio said.
The track is a very used part of the stadium. Many people go there to walk or run around for exercise, so it is constantly being used. During the spring, Altoona holds many track meets at Mansion Park. Some of them are huge invitationals, causing lots of people to use the track at once.
“We are constantly using the track in the spring. We are on it pretty much everyday for practice. Meets like Districts and Mt. Lion Classic are huge. There’s a lot of kids on the track at once. I think it’s good that we keep the track up to date,” sophomore Adelyn Himmelwright said.
While the turf and track were being redone, the scoreboard was also updated with a jumbo screen. Sophomore Annalyse Yost says that these improvements make competing for the school even more exciting.
“I’ve always been at Mansion Park since I was little. I would always go through to watch my brother play football and then I joined the track team in junior high. Things like the scoreboard and the lights make football games and track meets feel put together,” Yost said.
“Altoona Area School District’s Mansion Park Stadium has long been recognized as one of the finest athletic complexes in Pennsylvania,” according to the AASD official website.
“We’ve got a top notch facility and the people that come in here from all corners of the state whether it’s Philadelphia , Harrisburg, or Pittsburgh, they just rave about what we have here. They’re very impressed with our stadiums and the upkeep of stadiums. It makes our place a top spot for playoff games. So because of what we do with our facilities, we’re able to bring a lot of money in the work city into our accounting because of travel and restaurants and shopping,” Riccio said.
The school board is also looking to improve the Roosevelt field in between the junior high and high school. They also continue to upkeep Mansion Park and the other facilities.
“We’re always looking to expand, always looking to do more. You’re never really satisfied with what you have. You always have to strive to get more done and to put our athletes in the best position to be successful,” Riccio said.
