Land near J.P. Cain Stadium cleared for future development
A gravel parking lot expansion for J.P. Cain Stadium may help with traffic overflow during football season and could come to fruition soon according to one Hartselle City School board member.
(There) might be potential of gravel lot or grassed parking in the interim,” board member Daxton Maze said. “Probably not this year, but maybe in the near future.”
The 12.24 acre tract of land at 1642 Sparkman St. was purchased by the board in December 2021 for $170k according to director of operations Rocky Smith. It has recently been cleared of trees, but no dirt has yet been upturned.
The board also bought a house on Sparkman Street near the bridge, Maze said.
Maze said the district is clearing the land to be able to do some investigative work including geotechnical and topographical surveys to help with long range planning for facility renovations and replacements.
Board president James Joy said long range goals for the tract could be a new football stadium or a parking lot expansion for the current one.
“Land isn’t one of those things they’re making more of, so it’s one of those things that if it’s available and you see a potential use for it in the future, you need to get it while you can,” Joy said. “Leaders have to have a vision for the future.
“These are preliminary plans,” he added.
Joy mentioned that while some residents support the idea of constructing a new football stadium with a competitive track, others believe the district’s next priority should be building a new Hartselle Intermediate School.
Hartselle City Schools recently built a new Crestline Elementary School that has room for 1,000 students. The 105,000-square-foot school was a $42 million dollar project completed May 8.
“We’re talking about a lot of money, so these decisions have to be weighed and carefully considered,” Joy said. “I do believe this area will continue to grow and some of these things will be needed but I think we need to pay down some of our debt first.
“If we believe a new building is the correct avenue, then we have the potential to ideally situate a new Intermediate School and football stadium on the available property. Part of that consideration is where the fifth and sixth grade students (will) attend classes if the current Intermediate School needs to be demolished to make room for the new construction.
“If financially feasible, we need to determine whether this property can support both of these endeavors,” Joy added. “Can we or what are our options to financially make this a reality? Will the citizens view this as a priority, and will our students, staff and community be supportive. We have many items to consider as we think this through.”
