SPS renovating, repairing historic Harrison Stadium

Grenita Lathan: Renovating historic stadium is a priority.

Superintendent Grenita Lathan said it is time to make “much-needed repairs” and updates to Harrison Stadium, a historic athletic facility primarily used by Central High School.

Springfield Public Schools has set aside an estimated $7.5 million to upgrade the brick stadium constructed in 1936 at 900 N. Summit Ave., though the total budget amount has not been finalized.

The stadium, track and field are also used by Drury University, as part of a pact with the district.

Lathan said questions about the condition of Harrison came to the forefront a year ago while the district was exploring the possibility of constructing multipurpose, indoor athletic and activity centers at high schools.

“The conversation came up about Harrison Stadium and the much-needed repairs,” she said, in an interview.

She said a review of high school facilities showed Harrison was not on par with the others, an imbalance that bothered the Board of Education.

“It’s important to them that all our facilities, all our schools have the same level standard, and we found that Harrison was not,” she said.

The board voted March 24 to issue contracts to two firms to prepare the scope of work required so the project can be competitively bid.

SPS hired Oke-Thomas & Associates Inc. for $485,000 to complete architectural and engineering work and Olsson, Inc. for $29,850 to survey and prepare easements and other documents for the project.

Lathan said the district also sought input from Drury about how the facility can be improved. The stadium is used for multiple sports including football, soccer, and track and field.

“We need to look at the spaces that are available and try to figure out how to have the amenities that we have at all of our other schools – a place for referees to go, a place for the visiting team, a place for a home team,” said Josh Scott, director of athletics and activities for SPS, in an interview. “It’s really to try and update a facility that hasn’t been touched in decades.”

Central’s 2025 varsity football season was canceled due to a lack of players, and the junior varsity season was cut short.

Scott said John Ely, a teacher and coach in Kansas, was hired to coach the Central football team this fall.

“Coach has been coming down weekly, if not three times a month,” Scott said. “He’s been working with the kids, been in the weight room, building relationships.”

Travis Shaw, deputy superintendent of operations, said there is a “significant area between the end of the track” and the parking lot where a facility could be added for concessions, locker rooms or restrooms.

“We do have some space north of the track that we do plan to utilize,” he said in an interview.

Asked how much the renovation and repair work will cost, Shaw said it is too early to know, but a proposed budget will be developed as part of a design process expected to take six months.

Shaw said the district identified up to $7.5 million in unallocated capital funding when it was looking at the multipurpose centers, and the plan is to divert that money to pay for this project.

“We’re hoping we can be close to that number to be able to do the things that we need,” he said.

He said the project will likely take one year. He said preliminary work can be completed in the fall, but most of the work will be after the football season.

“It’s a pretty tight timeline,” Shaw said.