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August 21, 2007

BEAVER FALLS, Pa. – A portion of the north end wall of Reeves Stadium at Geneva College collapsed this morning due to a combination of unusually significant rainfall, newly placed concrete blocks, dirt which was moved to alleviate the steep slope and no time for plantings and ground cover to take hold.

Large (two foot x two foot x five foot) concrete blocks, Styrofoam slabs which were behind the blocks and dirt fell onto the field, reaching into the northern corner of the end zone. In recent days the wall had started to lean under the pressure of the heavy rainfall, so the college was in the process of working with a contractor to secure the blocks. The Styrofoam slabs had been installed to provided support and alleviate pressure on the concrete blocks, but this system failed due to the excessive rain and unstable soil conditions.

The college is now considering options to correct the problem. As the block, Styrofoam and dirt are cleaned off the field, a deep trench, or wedge curb, will be built into Spring Alley, the road access which is at the top of the hillside, in order to redirect the water flow.

The cleanup will be completed in time for the first Big Beaver Falls High School football scrimmage to be played on Friday, August 24.  The final correction to the problem is expected to take longer.

“It’s a real disappointment that this happened now, as our football team is getting ready to play on our new turf at Reeves Field,” said Ken Smith, president Geneva College. “At the same time, we are grateful that in God's providence the wall came down at night and no one was on the field. A wall is something we can fix.”

Geneva College, a reformed Christian liberal arts school founded in 1848, prepares students to serve Christ in all areas of society: work, family and the church.  Geneva is a founding member of the Council of Christian Colleges and Universities (CCCU).