The Canyon Independent School District Board of Trustees voted unanimously Monday to finalize an agreement to buy Kimbrough Memorial Stadium from West Texas A&M University for $500,000.

Texas A&M University System Regents have already blessed the deal, which includes about 52 acres of land that Kimbrough sits on near U.S. Highway 87. The sale closes in October, Canyon ISD Superintendent Darryl Flusche said.

"Many people have a strong tie to the stadium," Canyon ISD Board of Trustees Chairwoman Katharyn Wiegand said. "It serves our district well, and we saw no reason not to keep it. And it will continue a great heritage for our school district and our city."

WT president Walter Wendler celebrated the agreement as beneficial for both Canyon ISD and WT and the cities of Amarillo and Canyon. The university is planning a move to a yet-to-be-built on-campus stadium in 2019.

"Everybody wins," he said.

What remains unclear is if Canyon ISD will make any significant upgrades to aging Kimbrough, which was built in 1959.

A Houston-based consulting firm recently hired by WT estimated it would cost $5.9 million to bring Kimbrough up to minimum accessibility requirements under the Americans with Disabilities Act. The stadium includes a steep sloped walkway to stadium seating that is difficult for some visitors to climb.

Flusche said improvements will be dependent on a citizens committee that he said will be established to evaluate district-wide facility needs.

"The voice of the citizens will tell us if we need to consider options at Kimbrough," he said.

Flusche said the acquisition of the stadium will position Canyon ISD for future growth. The district enrolled more than 10,000 students for the first time this year and projects adding hundreds of students in the coming years.

He said the not-yet-formed committee will also evaluate the need for another high school in the growing district, which could bring a new football team to Kimbrough.

WT decided to leave Kimbrough instead of fixing it up, finding a new stadium a more efficient use of money and a way to improve involvement by students and alumni. Kimbrough is currently about two miles away from campus.

The university will leave Kimbrough after the 2018 football season and start the 2019 season in the on-campus stadium planned for construction called Buffalo Stadium.

WT will still play in Kimbrough until then under a short-term agreement that allows them to play there 35 times a year at no rental cost, Flusche said.

The WT student government, backed by school administration, started the successful push for the new stadium in 2015. But talks of vacating Kimbrough had alienated some alumni who attended football games in the 58-year-old stadium.

In a statement, Canyon ISD said the transfer of ownership "demonstrates a commitment to continuing the stadium’s legacy."

Canyon ISD has held a 99-year, $99 lease on Kimbrough. The school district handles all the upkeep for the stadium, which cost $134,000 in 2016. The cost was higher than usual due to weather-related damage, a spokeswoman said.

The district took in nearly $52,000 in revenue from the stadium in 2016.