The University of Nevada, Reno plans to sue the architects who redesigned Mackay Stadium after the finished product failed to comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act.

UNR says it spent nearly $4 million to fix mistakes made by the WorthGroup, a longtime collaborator with the university including on the E.L. Wiegand Fitness Center.

The WorthGroup designed renovations for the 50-year-old stadium in 2015. In 2017, the architecture firm came back with fixes to its first remodel after people in wheelchairs could not see the field.

But even after that revision, UNR was still in violation of the law for not having enough spaces for wheelchairs in a stadium with more than 25,600 seats.

The WorthGroup has not immediately returned a request for comment.

In 2017, the Reno Gazette Journal published an investigation that found that when UNR spent $14 million to renovate its football stadium, it violated the Americans with Disabilities Act by not taking into account access and views for people with disabilities.

The law prohibits discrimination and requires wheelchair seating to be provided in all areas.

In 2018, the RGJ also reported that people with disabilities could not get to their seats at the stadium.

Read more: UNR will spend millions to fix ADA mistakes from its Mackay Stadium renovation

UNR will ask the Board of Regents, the elected body over the state's public colleges, at a meeting Friday to approve moving forward with litigation in federal court.

UNR said its contract with the WorthGroup stipulates the architecture firm is responsible for costs of construction that results in negligent errors.

The university said it asked the WorthGroup to pay for the renovations to fix both botched redesigns but the architect firm refused.

UNR said fixes that are not finished will total $3.9 million. More renovations will be made on the stadium after the upcoming football season.

UNR hired expert to review redesign

UNR said it hired Ed Roether, an architect and national expert on sports facilities, to review the ADA issues.

According to Roether's report, "the WorthGroup lacked sufficient knowledge of stadium seating design to adequately address the accessibility requirements."

He continued, "It has been my experience that sports facility designers would not have made some of the basic errors observed in the documents."

He said that it was technically feasible for the design to incorporate wheelchair seating.

"Therefore, as much as I don't want to say this about another architect, I have concluded there is a reasonable basis for filing action against the WorthGroup."

Siobhan McAndrew tells stories about the people of Northern Nevada and covers education in Washoe County. Read her journalism right here. Consider supporting her work by subscribing to the Reno Gazette Journal.