A Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools Board of Education committee moved forward a proposal that would earmark $2 million for a new Reynolds High School football stadium on the edge of Hanes Park. The board will take a vote on it during a special meeting Thursday.
Currently, Reynolds shares a football field with Parkland High School, several miles away. That location is at Deaton-Thompson stadium off Clemmonsville Road.
Some say this creates access issues for students who don't have transportation and means lost instruction time during game days. But community members have pushed back over the years about having a stadium built near Hanes Park. They've expressed concerns over traffic, noise and other issues.
Some school board members say the proposed location may not be big enough to meet capacity and parking needs. The proposed athletic stadium would be built between Wiley Middle School gym and Bryson Gymnasium.
Darrell Walker, Assistant Superintendent of Operations for the district, says several sites have been analyzed throughout the city.
“I know there has been a lot of conversation about the size of it because it will not be the same size as the other 4A size schools, but I do think that it has some opportunity to grow as we go on in history and time if that were to happen,” he says.
Walker says the new stadium would seat around 2,500 people. The total cost is estimated to be around $6 million.
A local group called Home Field Advantage has also created a fundraising campaign for the effort.
The Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Board of Education is also considering spending $1 million to make athletic facility improvements at Parkland High School. That proposal is also part of the discussion for Thursday's special meeting.
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