Schools

Safety of Proposed Francis Howell Athletic Complex Debated

The Francis Howell Board of Education once again debated the merits of building an athletic complex at Francis Howell High School.

The proposed Francis Howell High School athletic complex has it's supporters and it's detractors.

For the , the main topic of discussion for the Francis Howell Board of Education was proposed athletic complex. A proposal, supported by Chief Financial Officer Kevin Supple and the rest of the Howell administration calls for the District to spend $2.4 million to build an athletic complex—two baseball fields, a softball field and a football-sized practice field along with a bus lot capable of housing 50-plus buses. 

"We believe it is the overall best use of the land," Supple said.

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During the work session to discuss the proposal, Board member Mark Lafata came out strongly in favor of the plan. He said that with the plan getting support from everyone in the administration, the Board should follow suit.

"It looks to me like we have a pretty good plan here," he said. "… I really like the recommendation that has been brought forth by the group of people we have paid. I don't think it's our job as the Baord to start monkeying around with the plan."

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Board Treasurer Mike Hoehn, however, expressed concern over the layout of the complex. Instead of the bus parking lot being close to the entrance of the site, buses would have drive the length of the complex to get to the bus area. Hoehn said the proposed layout is unsafe and that the bus route puts students at risk.

Hoehn proposed moving the bus lot somewhere else, either on the current property of at a different District location. Adding to the lot at Central School was discussed, but traffic issues, cost and plausibility of the plan were brought up against the Board going in that direction. 

Board member Marty Hodits didn't think the plan was unsafe.

"The student safety issue is a smokescreen to me on the whole thing, he said.

Hodits said the only real time it would be an issue is during baseball and softball games when fans are in attendance. 

"Some parents have got be responsible for children," he said.

Lafata said the Board should trust that the bus drivers and high school students should be responsible enough, and smart enough, to be cautious when crossing the parking. He also suggested implementing a walking bridge to alleviate the issue. 

Other ideas tossed around called for extensive fencing to force people to enter the complex at a certain point. If that was done, the parking lot could utilize stop signs, speed bumps and other tactics to slow down the buses and raise awareness to pedestrians. 

Several alternate proposals that would have changed the layout were brought up, but none gained much steam. Several board members suggested alternating the layout of the fields to get the bus lot closer to Route 94, but Supple said that was tried and not everything fit. Supple said a variety of options were tried out in the developmental stage and in order to make sure everything fit in place, the lay out presented was the one that fit in the area. 

The work session ended with Board in agreement that the proposal should be put up for vote at the next meeting. If Board members don't like it, they can vote it down and the proposal will go back to the drawing board.

The athletic complex, if approved, would be paid for with bond money. The Board will vote on the on athletic complex at the Feb. 16 meeting. 


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