SPS adds practice field, track at Lafayette Park

By the time students move into the new Reed Academy, an updated practice football field and track is expected to be ready nearby.

Springfield Public Schools plans to construct and renovate middle school athletic facilities at Lafayette Park, a public park established in 1869 along Atlantic Street. It is located southeast of Reed, which is located at 2000 N. Lyon Ave.

The district has long worked with the Springfield-Greene County Park Board to develop shared school parks near many of its campuses. The Reed athletic facilities will be on property shared by SPS and the park board.

The Board of Education voted March 24 to approve a $1.17 million bid, the lowest of four submitted, by Crossland Construction Co. Inc. for the work.

“That has been a facility that our kids have used. It has gotten very dilapidated,” said Travis Shaw, deputy superintendent of operations, at the meeting.

Shaw said the updated spaces will be used by students during physical education classes and athletic practices.

“They will provide, obviously, a great facility for the community,” he said.

He said the project includes reshaping the walking path into an oval track with more lanes, addressing stormwater runoff, and improving accessibility for individuals with disabilities.

“We did fence all the way around the property to make sure that when our students were out there, it could be as safe as possible, still allowing public access,” he said. “We’ve got several entrances.”

SPS is paying for the work, but Shaw said the district and construction company will work closely with the park board during the project, which is expected to start soon and be done by August.

The district is in the final months of constructing a new Reed, which will be known as the Reed Academy of Fine and Performing Arts and will open for the 2026-27 year. The initial budget for the project was $59 million.

Funding for Reed, and its athletic facilities, is part of the $220 million bond issue approved by voters in April 2023.

Josh Scott, director of athletics and activities, said middle school students involved in extracurricular sports need to have a home base.

“It needs to be somewhere you really want to be,” he said.

Scott said the district is putting extra effort into those spaces to make them more inviting.

“We want our kids to know we care about where they are, the facilities that they’re in,” he said.