Oregon State University built Reser Stadium in 1953 – well, Oregon State College built Reser Stadium in 1953 – well, Oregon State College built Parker Stadium in 1953, because the original stadium was named for 1908 OSC graduate Charles Parker, a Portland construction contractor. It wasn’t until 1999 that Parker Stadium was rebuilt so thoroughly, with money provided by food packagers Al and Pat Reser, that it was renamed Reser Stadium (some cranky old-timers still refer to it as “Frozen Burrito Stadium” as a result, although that’s as unfair as it would have been to call the earlier venue “Portland Apartment Complex Stadium” which has a ring to it if you think about it).
Anyway, 1999 is now a long time ago itself – back in the previous millennium, after all, as well as before most current Beaver players were even born. So, the University has decided Reser’s west-side bleachers need to go, and go they shall, in spectacular fashion: in an implosion.
On December 19, newspaper reporters and radio and television crews – wearing closed-toed shoes and borrowed hard hats – gathered near the now-doomed west wall so Steve [sorry, Steve, my hat was too tight and I never caught your last name] of Dykon Blasting could explain the role which chemical explosives will play in making Reser Stadium a more up-to-date part of the Corvallis landscape.
Why Blow It Up?
The question was asked, as one might expect, “Why blow it up instead of knocking it down?”
Surprisingly, the answer was not, “Because if we blow it up, we get to, you know, blow it up!”
Unfortunately, the real answer was, “safety.”
No, really.
See, if people go in to pull the thing down, people have to go in. If they just go in and plant explosives and then get out and set them off, nobody needs to be inside when things start tumbling down – possibly on heads and such.
Yeah, see? They thought about it! That’s why they pay those people at Dykon the big bucks. [Not big enough to have reporters remember their last names, but I digress.]
When Will This Happen?
The actual implosion will take place at 7:30 on the morning of Friday, January 7, 2022 – Christmas Day for those of you on the Gregorian calendar.
Dykon Blasting is confident that the vibration and debris will be contained within 500 feet of the blast site and no electricity or other utility services will be interrupted… but not necessarily confident enough that they aren’t going to evacuate all people from within 1,000 feet.
That means they’re inviting residents of the nearby Oak Creek neighborhood to a congenial breakfast…somewhere else. They are also making sure that no surgeries will be in progress at the nearby College of Veterinary Medicine [nobody wants the scheduled hernia repair on a promising young racehorse to turn into an unscheduled gelding.]
Then What?
Once all the coming down has gone down, and the shovelling away has been shovelled away, the University can get down to the building up, and then things get interesting.
The new Reser is going to be quite a place once it’s hammered into shape, with its Student Welcome Center; improved capacity for year-round events that Dykon Steve [still don’t remember his last name] enthusiastically describes as “almost like your living room”; a student wellness clinic right next door; an indoor concourse which will allow visitors to walk around the entire stadium without having to step out into December weather; and grandstand seating that allows spectators to sit closer to the field [the University proudly promises that spectators and athletes alike will notice that the crowds will sound louder.]
And all of that for a measly little $153 million.
The fun part, seating will be reduced when the stadium reopens, but the design allows for more seats to be added in the future without the need for further implosions. That means, if you’re hoping to get in on an implosion, January 7 is your big opportunity.
By John M. Burt
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