By TOMMY REZAC
St. Joseph Post
SAVANNAH - A major expansion project is underway at Savannah High School - a project that will give the school new classrooms and improved athletic facilities.
The upgrades include turf for the football field, a new, eight-lane track and the addition of a video scoreboard.
Savannah Athletic Director and head football coach Anthony Hays says this $20 million project, however, spans well beyond athletics.
"That's going to a new performing arts center," Hays told KFEQ Radio. "The renovation of our game gym, the addition of a new auxiliary gym, which will be awesome on the athletics side of stuff where we can maybe play sub varsity games in one gym, high school games in another. Make our nights and tournaments go by a little quicker."
"Also new athletic locker rooms and P.E. locker rooms."
Savannah launched a $2 million fundraiser back in January to help pay for the track and turf field. Hays says about $1.2 million of that has already been raised.
The plan is to break ground on the field and track project this summer. Hays says the field project, classroom expansion and gym revamp is scheduled to be done by the start of the coming school year.
There'll also be new locker rooms and a new film room.
A new, two-story press box is slated to be done within a month or two. The new performing arts center may take until January.
Hays says the school district wants the very best for its students.
"We want all of our kids to have the very best we can offer them," he said. "To see it happening shows you the investment of our school district and community into the next generation, and that's pretty neat to see in our small town."
While the upgrades to the turf, press box and scoreboard will enhance the Friday night football atmosphere, Hays says the soccer teams stand to gain from an upgraded field as well.
"(Soccer) is in a facility right now that doesn't have lights, running water, a true grand stands or even bathrooms," he said, "so they're going to move their games to the stadium. So, I think that'll give them a pretty neat opportunity and venue for their games."
Full interview
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