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District 186 lays out design and timeline for new Southeast High field house
Summary
Architects presented a 55,400‑square‑foot District 186 Field House for Southeast High — a six‑lane, 200‑meter indoor track with courts, locker rooms, concessions and an attached concourse — and staff outlined design, procurement milestones and why a storm shelter was not included.
District staff and Grama Heights Architects presented detailed plans for a new District 186 Field House at the Springfield Board of Education meeting on June 15.
Kevin Handy of Grama Heights Architects described the core program elements: a 55,400‑square‑foot addition featuring a six‑lane, 200‑meter indoor track, four courts for basketball/volleyball, dedicated locker and training rooms, a concourse with concessions and seating, and a large circulation corridor connecting the field house to the existing building. Handy showed renderings of new west and east entrances, an administrative vestibule to improve security, and interior graphics honoring all three district high schools.
The design schedule outlined by the architect targets finishing design development in early July, completing construction documents by the end of October, bidding in November, procurement in December and breaking ground in early spring. The project includes renovation work inside Southeast High School (locker rooms, wrestling room, PE/training spaces), a west parking lot reconfiguration and exterior refresh of precast panels to better match the field house addition.
Board members asked whether the addition would double as a community storm shelter. Handy said the addition did not meet the code threshold that would require a shelter—current code requires a shelter for additions that increase square footage by 50% or more—and staff said they balanced the cost and code requirements when deciding not to include a formal shelter. The team also described coordination with the Park District and preservation of existing pool access and approximately 30 staff/visitor parking spaces on the south side of the site.
If the schedule holds, construction documents will be ready by late October, with bids and procurement completed before the end of the year and ground‑breaking in early spring. Staff emphasized the project is intended to serve district middle and high school athletics as well as community events.
The board did not take a formal action on the field house at the June 15 meeting; the presentation will feed into future procurement and contract approvals.
