By the first home football game in mid-September, there will be a new concession stand and press box at Mercer Island High School.

The district, which has been working on the project this summer, expects construction to be done by the first home game.

As of early August, the framing of the project was complete, a process that took about two weeks, said Tony Kuhn, the Director of Maintenance & Operations for the district. Prior to that, crews poured concrete for the foundation of the new building.

The project was approved earlier this spring by the MISD board of directors, and started at the end of July.

The old press box is still standing, and Kuhn said it will stay put until the new building is officially ready to go for the first game. The space where the old building is will be converted into special dedicated handicap seating, something the stadium didn’t have before.

The new building is two stories — the bottom for concessions and the top for the press box. The old concessions stand area will be converted to larger restrooms. Upstairs will have rooms for the coaching staff, videographers, and the high school radio station, along with the announcers and scorekeepers who had spots in the old building.

Kuhn said most of the work is being done in-house by the district, which saves them a lot of money on construction costs.

The first home football game of the season, which is also Homecoming, is scheduled for Friday, Sept. 20, against Lake Washington.