On Tuesday, May 7th, Penn-Harris-Madison finally broke ground for the new fieldhouse for Penn High School. This officially started development on the project for the following months. A ceremony was held on the day of the groundbreaking to commemorate it. It was held between the Culver’s and the Penn Fire Station on McKinley.
The fieldhouse will be 80 thousand square feet long and will be able to accommodate over 800 people. Its main purpose is to provide the school with new locations for sporting events. The fieldhouse also has amenities for other purposes outside of athletics such as classrooms for academic purposes and performance areas for extra-curricular activities like robotics or marching band. Additionally, it also has a track, locker rooms, and spots for concessions.
The project was discussed for several years before it finally was agreed on in March of this year. R Yoder Construction, a Nappanee-based construction company, awarded PHM with an almost 16 million dollar contract so they can build the fieldhouse. According to the district, it will not raise taxes for any pre-existing residents of the PHM area. The fieldhouse is planned to be complete and ready to open in September of next year.