BENTONVILLE — As soon as the Bentonville School Board solves one question in its drive for a second high school another pops up.
The School Board voted last week to build the high school in Centerton.
The next question to be answered is size — a building for 2,000 or 2,500 students? Yet another question is athletic facilities. Build a new indoor practice field, football field and other fields for baseball, soccer and softball? Or share the Tiger Athletic Complex on J Street with Bentonville High School?
It could be a $20 million decision.
Scott Passmore, athletic director, is researching the topic and will give the data to the School Board.
“I’m visiting with other athletic directors that are sharing facilities,” Passmore said. “There are school districts that do share facilities. I have asked them to share the pros and cons, and I am also visiting with athletic directors that have full athletic facilities at both sites.”
By The Numbers
The Costs
A second high school in Centerton with a 2,500-student capacity could cost $139.5 million with athletic facilities. Without, it would cost $117.8 million. A 2,000-student capacity building could be $123.9 million with athletic facilities and $102.2 million without the facilities.
Source: Bentonville School District
The Rogers and Springdale school districts each have two high schools. Springdale shares facilities, while Rogers doesn’t.
Bentonville Superintendent Michael Poore said there are several factors the board needs to consider.
“We are trying to understand the dynamics of putting a soccer field on a football field,” Poore said. “How much does a practice field cost? Would we have to put a practice field on the current BHS campus because of the shared use of the stadium?”
If Tiger Stadium is shared, more locker rooms will have to be built, Poore said. A stadium shared by two teams would also lack individuality, Poore said. It couldn’t be called Tiger Stadium, and may be stripped of its black and gold colors.
“Will people be able to buy advertising and things like that?” Poore said. “No one knows how an advertiser will act with two stadiums. We are trying to learn more about those by talking with Springdale and Rogers.”
Use at the Tiger Athletic Complex also needs to be considered. The football stadium already is shared by multiple teams in the district.
“Currently, we have both of our eighth-grade teams playing games here,” Passmore said. “We also have Bentonville Black and Bentonville Gold games. We have sophomore games, JV (junior varsity) games and varsity, and then the band utilizes the field for practice. The soccer team practices on the field because our girls’ and boys’ soccer period are at the same time.”
The Tiger Athletic Complex’s indoor facility is used during inclement weather, Passmore said. The indoor schedule rotates during winter months as sports such as baseball, football, soccer, softball and track filter through.
Travis Riggs, a board member, said the district needs another practice field.
“I have suggested that we make efficient use of what we have by resurfacing the current soccer field and then putting football stripes on it and goal posts,” Riggs said. “People do not understand the amount of games that are put on these facilities. A second high school will add more stress to the existing facility. I think it will be wise to look at the need that we have as we are going through these building programs.”
The district is in the process of starting construction on a new junior high school that will open for the 2013-14 school year. This will add an additional eighth-grade team to schedule. A second high school will need sophomore, junior varsity and varsity teams, Passmore said.
Riggs said he will wait for Passmore’s data and research before deciding what an athletics facility at the second high school should look like.
The second high school will have to go before voters during a millage campaign. The district wants a June 26 special election.
Shawn Holman, a parent of two students in the district, likes the idea of full athletic facilities at the second high school.
“I think we need more athletics,” Holman said. “Athletics are big here in Northwest Arkansas. They have to expand, most definitely.”
Toni Martin, a parent of two grandchildren in the district, said sports facilities are absolutely needed.
“It is going to be tough enough for kids to transition from one high school to another,” Martin said. “I think they should have their own facilities.”
Sam Woolridge, also a grandparent of students in the district, said he doesn’t think the second high school should have full athletic facilities.
“My opinion is they (the district) spent too much on the sports’ facility at the present location,” Woolridge said. “I think it should be shared.”