KINGSPORT, Tenn. (WJHL) – As work continues on the renovations for Dobyns-Bennett’s Buck Van Huss Dome, school district leaders are narrowing their focus to how the site will look.
The dome was first closed in August 2022 due to structural concerns and has remained closed since. In that time, the Kingsport Board of Education approved a $20 million renovation of the facility that includes installing a steel roof underneath the existing wood.
On Monday, Kingsport City Schools officials updated the city’s board of mayor and aldermen on the progress of the dome at the board’s work session. Assistant Superintendent Andy True told News Channel 11 that the design process has shifted focus to smaller details now that larger items are accounted for.
“What we’re doing right now is really to go in and look at all of the granular details on things like not just the structural design, but things like seating, flooring, HVAC,” True said. “All of those components that need to pull together to form the overall project.”
Kingsport City Schools hopes to have the design plans complete in August 2023.
The Buck Van Huss Dome is scheduled to reopen in late 2024, school leaders said.
