OKCPS athletic projects at John Marshall, Star Spencer, Capitol Hill on track, district says

Murray Evans, The Oklahoman
·4 min read
The historic Capitol Hill Sports Arena is scheduled to be torn down, but a new fieldhouse is planned as part of the construction of a new Capitol Hill High School building.
The historic Capitol Hill Sports Arena is scheduled to be torn down, but a new fieldhouse is planned as part of the construction of a new Capitol Hill High School building.

Oklahoma City Public Schools bond projects that will result in a new football stadium at one high school and new gymnasiums at two other high schools are on track to be ready for the 2026-27 school year, district officials told school board members this week.

With money from the $955 million bond approved by voters in 2022, the district is building the new stadium at John Marshall Enterprise High School to serve both John Marshall and Belle Isle Enterprise High School, which will open in August 2025. New gymnasiums for Star Spencer High School and Capitol Hill High School are included in bond projects at those district schools.

Renderings provided by Oklahoma City Public Schools of the new football stadium at John Marshall Enterprise High School . All of these are part of the $955 million bond project approved in 2022 by district voters
Renderings provided by Oklahoma City Public Schools of the new football stadium at John Marshall Enterprise High School . All of these are part of the $955 million bond project approved in 2022 by district voters

Scott Randall, the district’s chief operations officer, said the goal is to have 14 bond projects – including the projects at John Marshall, Star Spencer and Capitol Hill – ready for the 2026-27 school year.

“Those projects continue to proceed on schedule,” Randall told board members during their meeting on Monday.

The stadium at John Marshall, which will include facilities for football, soccer, and track and field, is being built with a budget of $15.334 million. It will have concession areas and restrooms on both sides of the field. The initial capacity of the stadium will be 2,238, but plans already are in the works to expand the stadium by 1,160 seats, said Kenneth Dennis, the principal-in-charge at Studio Architecture, the Oklahoma City firm hired by the district to design the project.

One feature of the stadium will be lighting elements on the home-side façade that can change colors, depending on whether it’s the John Marshall Bears or the Belle Isle Bulls (the new school’s nickname) playing, Dennis said.

Bid approvals will be considered by the board on June 24. If approved, construction will begin in August and continue through summer 2026.

Renderings provided by Oklahoma City Public Schools of the new football stadium at John Marshall Enterprise High School All of these are part of the $955 million bond project approved in 2022 by district voters
Renderings provided by Oklahoma City Public Schools of the new football stadium at John Marshall Enterprise High School All of these are part of the $955 million bond project approved in 2022 by district voters

John Marshall currently plays its home games at 90-year-old Taft Stadium, located near Northwest Classen High School. Belle Isle is planning on competing in varsity athletics the year it opens with only ninth-graders, said Jason Galloway, the district’s executive director of academics. Belle Isle will add a grade each year, with its first seniors scheduled to graduate in April 2029.

Rand Elliott 'excited' to work on Star Spencer bond project

Famed local architect Rand Elliott is leading a project at Star Spencer that will include a new administration area as well as improvements to the football stadium and a new competition gymnasium, which he said will have a capacity of 1,476. Elliott has worked on other athletic projects locally, including one at Heritage Hall School.

Renderings provided by Oklahoma City Public Schools of the new fieldhouse at Star Spencer High School. All of these are part of the $955 million bond project approved in 2022 by district voters
Renderings provided by Oklahoma City Public Schools of the new fieldhouse at Star Spencer High School. All of these are part of the $955 million bond project approved in 2022 by district voters

“I’m really excited to be back and doing a project for the public schools, since I am a public-school kid,” said Elliott, a graduate of now-closed Harding High School in Oklahoma City.

Elliott said the gymnasium will have locker rooms, concessions, restrooms, a large hospitality space and two-level seating. Star Spencer’s football stadium will receive a new press box along with new concessions and restrooms. The school’s Circle of Champions, which celebrates excellence in athletics by the Bobcats, will be relocated, Elliott said.

Construction should start this summer and finish in August 2026, with an estimated cost of $29.904 million.

New Capitol Hill gym will replace current historic fieldhouse as part of larger project

At Capitol Hill, the district plans to build part of a new school on land now occupied by the historic Capitol Hill Sports Arena, which – while architecturally significant – also has experienced major issues with water leaks in recent years that have forced the Red Wolves to play entire basketball seasons away from home.

Renderings provided by Oklahoma City Public Schools of the new fieldhouse at Capitol Hill High School . All of these are part of the $955 million bond project approved in 2022 by district voters
Renderings provided by Oklahoma City Public Schools of the new fieldhouse at Capitol Hill High School . All of these are part of the $955 million bond project approved in 2022 by district voters

Renderings of the new Capitol Hill gymnasium indicate it will include two levels of seating. Gary Armbruster, the principal architect and partner with MA+ Architects – the firm hired by the district to design the project – said it will have a capacity of 2,353.

Along with the rest of the new school building, it should be ready for use for the 2026-27 school year. The current arena will be used until summer 2025, Armbruster said, when plans call for it to be torn down. The overall project – which includes the construction of the new school – has a budget of $116.144 million, making it the most expensive project of the 2022 district bond.

The district board approved construction of the current fieldhouse in May 1954 with an estimated budget of $1 million, according to former Oklahoma County Commissioner Ray Vaughn Jr., whose father, Ray Vaughn Sr., was the athletic director at Capitol Hill at that time. Vaughn Sr. went on to start the athletic program at what now is Oklahoma Christian University.

This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: OKCPS bond-funded athletic facilities still on track, district says