COLUMBUS, Ohio (WSYX) — As the Buckeyes prepare to host the latest game in the program’s history, the campus is taking proactive measures to ensure fan safety and comfort during Saturday’s game.
Executive Associate Athletic Director Mike Penner said preparations are underway to treat parking lots, roads, and sidewalks with snow melt to help fans safely get from parking areas to the stadium.
“When they get into the stadium, we want them to be safe as well,” Penner said. “On Friday, we will pretreat the aisle ways and the concourse to make sure it’s good to go. We will come back in on Saturday and look for areas that may have thawed and still be a little slippery.”
While some stadiums have heated fields, Penner noted that Ohio Stadium does not.
“There are some approaches where you can put a tarp over the field and then blow heat underneath it. We don’t think we are going to apply that approach,” he said. “We think, right now, because the temperatures have been above freezing all week long, we think the field will remain in good condition, but we will keep monitoring it.”
The stadium is getting some good practice in for when they host the Stadium Series, featuring the Columbus Blue Jackets taking on the Detroit Red Wings on March 1, which involves covering the field and setting up ice and glass. Penner explained that this is a “completely different operation.”
Efforts have been made to install heat trace systems to prevent pipes from freezing. “Heat trace is like an electric current that is attached to the pipes that keeps the pipe warm enough so it does not freeze,” Penner said. “Knowing that we were potentially going to have a playoff game and that we have a hockey game, we continue to add heat trace to all of our pipes.”
Penner is feeling optimistic about the stadium’s preparations/
“We feel like we are in a really comfortable position for the game Saturday,” Penner added. “We are working towards permanent heat in all the concession stands. We are not quite there yet.”
Additional plumbers have been hired to address any potential pipe issues, and efforts are ongoing to ensure concession stands remain heated.
The Buckeyes will kick-off against the Volunteers at 8:00 p.m. You can watch the game on ABC 6.
