Washington School Board moving ahead with $10M stadium project
Field house, track and field among upgrades
The Washington School Board approved plans Monday to upgrade the high school stadium at a total cost of just under $10 million.
The project includes a revised plan for replacement of the field house, which will locate the new one-story building southwest of the current football field.
The board had initially considered three options presented by HHSDR Architects Engineers’ Pittsburgh office: renovate the current field house; replace the current building with a new structure, or construct one on the southeastern side of the field across from the existing building, but the board opted for a new, fourth option at Monday’s directors’ meeting.
According to Superintendent Alisa King, the board sought a different location than was initially included in the third option after preliminary cost estimates indicated that necessary earth moving and regrading would be too expensive due to the steep slope at the proposed site to the southeast of the field.
The approved location will place the building on a relatively flat field beyond the end zone on the southwestern side of the field, which will feature separate locker rooms and shower facilities for male and female student athletes, plus a film room and offices for the district’s athletic director and athletic training staff, King said.
The fourth option includes the demolition of the existing field house building after the new building is ready for use, with the land converted into additional parking spaces for stadium visitors.
According to King, this will provide approximately 60 new spaces, with the final total to be determined by the footprint of the field house complex.
The fourth option also includes optional phases that would add a weight room and district administrative offices to the proposed building plan, but those will be considered separately from the already-approved project, King said.
An estimate provided by HHSDR lists the total cost of the new construction, demolition and parking lot installation at $6,207,000.
The approved plan also includes replacement of the existing track and football field to bring the stadium up to current athletic conference standards.
King said the current track lacks the minimum number of lanes required to host sanctioned track meets, among a number of other substandard features that will be corrected.
HHSDR estimates that the track and field replacement will cost $3,524,000, bringing the total stadium project price to just under $10 million.
District Business Manager Emily DiNardo said the district will be able to cover the entirety of the project with funds drawn from the capital reserve balance, which currently holds over $28 million.
DiNardo said the district will pursue a relatively “conservative” project scope in order to not spend capital reserve funds unnecessarily.
The Monday vote authorized HHSDR to prepare bid documents and seek local permitting approval for the project.
A tentative project timeline provided by King states that HHSDR is on track to complete schematic design and submit the plans for preliminary land development approval by July 24.
The design development will be completed by Sept. 18, according to the timeline.
Construction is set to start in late March 2027, with the new building scheduled to open in March 2028 subject to potential weather and construction delays.
King said members of the public are welcome to comment on the project plan at the board’s next regular meeting on July 20.