Farragut Complex to Receive Glow-Up: Farragut Complete to Receive Glow-Up: Breaking Down the Bond Proposal

As part of the Hastings School District’s facilities planning in 2021, administrators realized that the three Hastings school buildings needed maintenance and renovation. The district has been working with a design team to determine the areas where the buildings need renovation and estimate cost, with the ultimate goal of having a bond referendum in mid May 2025.

Hastings superintendent Dr. McKersie wrote in a Superintendent Community Update last March that “for over six months, the administration has been conferring with the Board of Education (BOE) about the critical district needs which would be appropriate as part of a new capital bond… we have modified our pace and planning to make sure that we are bringing forth a well-conceived and researched proposal.” The district started working with PBDW Architects to make this vision a reality.

The plan was created after a team of architects and engineers from LAN Associates and a representative from the LA Group, a landscaping group, came to the Hastings buildings, performed inspections, and met with the director of facilities. They then analyzed the data to determine the district’s most pressing and actionable needs.

The proposal was initially presented on November 19, where it had a preliminary budget of around $62.3 million. But according to a presentation at a later Board of Education meeting on December 4, “this entire scope of work [was] not considered affordable by the District or community… [so] the HoH Administration and Design Team were tasked to reduce the scope of work and achieve a more affordable bond proposition.” In particular, there were concerns about the high price tags and “student experiences and environmental impacts of synthetic turf fields.”

Now, the updated proposal is here, and, with an updated budget of around $43.3 million, it still includes renovations from a new cafeteria to capital improvements. And turf fields, although still hotly contested, are still included in the bond.

In the PBDW report, one of the problems that they found was that the “cafeteria was undersized.” As a solution, the bond suggests adding to the cafeteria by building into the courtyard in the Farragut Complex.

This would be a two-floor cafeteria, with the first floor accommodating 24 lunch tables, a community room, and student bathrooms, among other new features. On the second floor would be an “outlook,” or an “impromptu ‘hang out’ space for high school students adjacent to the lobby,” a breakout room, and a larger conference room with pods for private Zoom calls, according to the December 4th Referendum Planning Update.

The former Farragut complex cafeteria would turn into “specialized instructional space & counseling offices.”

Other than maintenance of certain pre-existing fields and improving ease of parking and driving around the Burke, the bond would turn the current upper Burke soccer field into a “new multi-sport synthetic turf field” that could be used for football, field hockey, and lacrosse. It would have LED field lights and a capacity of more than 500 seats.

Although there are many benefits to turf fields, including decreased maintenance costs, increased durability, and freedom from seasonal limitations, which greatly affected HHS sports teams this year, some community members dislike the idea of a turf field in Hastings because they have fewer environmental benefits. However, the Board of Education presentation noted turf fields actually cause a “reduction of carbon footprint and noise pollution with less use of gas-powered machinery to maintain fields.”

The field is still included in the bond, but there are many considerations for the ultimate product, including manufacturer, fiber type, infill type, and more.

Additionally, at the most recent meeting, the Board proposed going back to the drawing board for the sports field proposal in order to make it more equitable, include softball, and possibly have multiple fields. This means that the plans for the Burke are probably going to be updated once again.

Because the Farragut complex building is over 50 years old, it needs routine capital work. Upgrading mechanical systems is a priority.

As LAN Associates’ presentation put it, “In the interior of the [Farragut Complex], the space use, allocation, organization & relationships are dysfunctional throughout the entire building… The existing building lacks flexible or dynamic instructional environments and learning opportunities.” There will be renovations to the Farragut Complex, including adding locker niches and classrooms. The middle school will also get a new entrance.

However, although renovating the Farragut Wing was part of the initial bond, it was taken out because of cost. Although the district’s architect recommended “significant internal renovations,” the new bond focuses more on masonry restoration and mechanical ventilation.