$5.2 Million for Multi-Purpose Athletic Complex at F.S. Garrison Stadium

Harrison Schools will be building a multi-purpose athletic complex at F.S. Garrison Stadium.

During the November meeting of the Harrison School Board Dr. Stewart Pratt, Superintendent of the Harrison School District, recommended a multi-purpose athletic complex be built at F.S. Garrison Stadium for the cost of $5.2 million. The board passed his recommendation unanimously.

Dr. Pratt spoke of three major projects the district needs to address including the athletic complex as well as additions or replacement of the Skyline and Forest elementary school buildings. After conferring with architects and getting cost estimates on adding on to either of the elementary schools Pratt said, currently we’re looking at 15 million or more to work on Skyline or Forrest… in our previous board meeting conversations I’ve received some feedback from you guys and others that that’s a lot of money for add-ons to 1965 buildings.” Pratt said he has been asked to revisit that plan. He said those buildings will most likely wear out in the next 20 to 30 years and the district needs to get on a plan of replacing those buildings on a rotating basis so that they don’t have replace them all at once at the expense of taxpayers being asked to increase the millage tax.

As far as the elementary buildings are concerned Pratt said he felt it would be better to build a brand-new building down the road and address the more urgent need to of the district with the athletic complex which will replace the facilities lost to the City of Harrison by the districts release of the old junior high property. Under the agreement the school has five years to continue using the athletic facilities at that property while they work to replace them. That agreement took effect in 2020 and Pratt said that any of the three projects mentioned before will take approximately 18 months to complete.

With the knowledge of the five-year timeline at the old junior high property Pratt recommended the board approve the construction of the athletic complex to begin in the spring of 2022.

Board member Nate Wilson inquired about the need for a raise in millage. Dr. Pratt said, “There will be no millage cost, there will be no millage request. It will not increase any of their taxes at all … we’ve worked really hard to save money in our building fund for these kinds of projects, both Skyline, Forrest, and the athletic[s].” He said the plan for funding is to borrow about $3 million and take $2.5 million from the building fund, leaving a balance of approximately $4 million after completion of the project. The remaining balance is for safety and “rainy day” funding.

Board member John Burnside noted that, “we’re losing space … so we’re just trying to replace some of those items at today’s cost.” The replacements in the project will include additional bathrooms at F.S. Garrison stadium, visitor’s concessions, and visitor locker rooms that Dr. Pratt said are needed for football, soccer, track, and special Olympics that are all held at the stadium. He said that while the bathrooms are the main need, the additional locker rooms will provide facilities for boys and girls soccer, track and field, as well as junior high football, none of which currently have locker room facilities at F.S. Garrison Stadium.  Those items along with additional storage are the needs that Pratt said would be addressed with the project.

Board President Mitch Magness said, “I’ve made this point numerous times in these meetings and I know I sound like a broken record, but the district is in strong fiscal shape, we’re not short of money.”

Burnside added, “It’s not like we have kids going hungry.” He then asked how much a school lunch costs a student in Harrison Schools to which Pratt responded “Zero.” Burnside then said, “We’re taking care of our own and we still have opportunities to make some additions.”  

Groundbreaking for the project is expected to happen in the spring with construction being completed by the summer of 2023.