Dewberry, a privately held professional services firm, has announced the completion of turf replacement in the O’Kelly-Riddick (OKR) Stadium at North Carolina Central University (NCCU) in Durham, North Carolina. The field faced intermittent flooding during heavy rains due to improper drainage and had UV damage since its original installation in 2008.
The project included complete replacement of the 83,000-square-foot artificial turf field and the connection of drains to the existing campus stormwater drainage system. Dewberry provided civil engineering, stormwater, and feasibility services to NCCU to improve surface and subsurface drainage for the facility.
“The stadium is such a vital part of the NCCU campus and experience,” says Dewberry Vice President and Business Unit Manager, Matt West, PE, LEED AP. “We are pleased to support the university in serving their athletes, students, and spectators.”
The NCCU football team will take the new OKR field for the time at the annual Spring Game on April 13, 2024.
“Dewberry has done a fantastic job revitalizing the playing surface of OKR Stadium, giving our nationally-ranked football program a safe, reliable and beautiful home field for a long time,” said NCCU Director of Athletics Dr. Louis “Skip” Perkins. “Our student-athletes will now be able to compete on one of the best state-of-the-art gridirons in the Football Championship Subdivision that we are excited to showcase to our fans at our annual Spring Game and upcoming 2024 season because of the professional installation done by Dewberry.”