Members of the Franklin Monroe volleyball team helped with the groundbreaking.
Ryan Berry | Daily Advocate
By Ryan Berry
DailyAdvocate.com
PITSBURG — The Franklin Monroe community will soon see construction activity taking place on school grounds. The district broke ground on the 18,000 square foot Franklin Monroe Flightline Training Center on Wednesday, Sept. 18.
The new facility is expected to give Franklin Monroe students more opportunities for athletics and academics. The all-metal building will house an 11,000 square foot gym floor, restrooms, batting cage/net, small track, archery area, storage room for track equipment, weight room, meeting room, Go/Learn Computer Classroom, testing classroom, junior high volleyball games, small concession room, community room for events/meals, community walking track that will be available for a small fee, and more. According to the Franklin Monroe Alumni Facebook Page, the facility has been compared to the new facility at Tri-Village, but they believe the Flightline Training Center is more like Newton’s new facility.
According to Franklin Monroe Superintendent Jeremy Pequignot, the $4.4 million facility will be paid for over the course of 20 years. One-third of the cost will be paid up front out of the general fund and the remaining two-thirds will be financed and paid for over a 20-year period. Level MB Construction, of Troy, has been tapped as the contractor for this project.
The district is already developing plans for how the building will be used for athletics and academics. Pequignot said, “We are super excited about the project. I think the main thing is that it can be all-encompassing. One of the most exciting things, obviously there are people already planning and make plans for academic things and athletic things.”
While he is enthusiastic about the ideas they have already come up with for the building, he said he is most excited about the ways the building will be used that they have not yet imagined.
With the way education has progressed over the last couple of decades, more and more students are spending very few hours on campus. There is hope the building will bring students back to the Franklin Monroe campus. Pequignot said, “We have a lot of kids who do CCP (College Credit Plus) and who are only here part of the day. We are trying to find ways to incorporate new ideas to keep them on campus more, to keep our leaders here. We think this building can help with that.”
As Franklin Monroe continues to expand its services, which included the recent addition of a preschool, there has been an increased demand for the facilities. The superintendent said the new facility will offer more community activities and opportunities for people.
The cumulative issue with increased offerings by the district, trying to find ways to keep leaders on campus, and more demand for the district’s facilities have been key factors to why the school board chose to begin this project. One area the Franklin Monroe Athletic Boosters has focused on is the weight room. They have contributed to providing new equipment in the past, but the room is small and offers athletes limited options. With the new facility, athletes will be better equipped for their sport.
Pequignot also pointed to warmer weather in the fall as a need for the building. Elementary students currently have their physical education time in a space with no air conditioning. The facility will allow them to be in an air-conditioned space.
Pequignot added, “Franklin Monroe students are truly blessed to be part of a community that supports them with these types of opportunities. It is with great anticipation that we look forward to seeing how our students will utilize this facility to propel them along their path to success.”
The district is hoping to have the facility open in June or July of 2025.
To contact Daily Advocate Editor Ryan Berry, email [email protected].
