Board to Decide Fate of Francis Howell Athletic Complex

The fate of the proposed Francis Howell High School athletic complex will likely be decided at Thursday Board of Education meeting. 

After back-to-back meetings debating the issue, the school board will decide if the District will pursue the $2.4 million multi-field complex on the campus of Howell High. The item is one of the voting issues on the agenda for Thursday's meeting. The Board will meet at 7 p.m. at the Francis Howell Administration Building.

The proposed complex seeks to help ease the burden on the lone athletic field at Howell. The plan calls for the construction of a two baseball fields, a softball field and football-sized practice field. The complex would be built on the campus of Howell, eliminating the need for students to travel to and from practice on a daily basis.

During the recent conversations, the Board, notably Treasurer Mike Hoehn, didn't have much of an issue with the idea of the field, but rather the proposed layout. Hoehn said a bus lot at the rear of complex is unsafe.

Following a lengthy conversation at the first meeting in February, the Board agreed to vote on the complex at the next meeting. If it failed, the complex would go back to the drawing board. 

The Board will also vote on the staffing proposal first brought up at the last meeting.