TCAPS Board Approves Contracts for New Indoor Fieldhouse Project

The Traverse City Area Public Schools board approved construction contracts worth $17.2 million for a new indoor fieldhouse and after-school clubhouse next to East Middle School, putting the long-debated project on track to break ground this May and open in time for the 2027-28 school year.

The facility, to be built at the site of Carlisle Field, will span more than 125,000 square feet as a pre-engineered metal building. It will house full competition-sized football, soccer and lacrosse fields, batting cages, a six-lane track, and an attached clubhouse designed for after-school programming. Office space, restrooms, storage, parking areas and site lighting are also included in the project scope.

Hallmark Construction Inc. will serve as construction manager, having organized the bid requests into 18 separate categories. The total approval amount of $17,236,000 includes a 9.28 percent construction contingency as well as construction manager services and general conditions. An additional $650,000 in bond funds was previously approved for architectural and engineering services.

Funding draws from two streams: roughly $9 million from the district's 2018 capital bond and approximately $9 million in community donations. The Northern Michigan Homefield Alliance, a grassroots organization, has pledged $6 million of that donated total. Traverse City Tourism has committed $1.5 million.

The board's authorization includes conditions tied to fundraising progress. TCAPS Superintendent Dr. John VanWagoner cannot execute the majority of the contracts until $6 million in donations has been collected; the final major contract requires $7.125 million in hand. The approval also establishes a $500,000 maintenance fund so the facility, in VanWagoner's words, "doesn't have to draw from district or bond resources in the future."

"Today's a good day, but it's not an absolute final day," VanWagoner said after the vote.

The superintendent has described the building as filling a gap that Northern Michigan winters carve into the school year. "This is a facility we see used a lot from October to May," he said, adding that summer programming would follow: "We think it's a great place for summer camps." Beyond sports, district leaders envision drone camps, robotics camps and a range of other community events filling the space. VanWagoner has said programming revenue is expected to make activities accessible to lower-income students, with TCAPS projecting the facility will be financially self-supporting in programming costs by its third year of operation.