PCHS field house will be finished in August

PHIL CAMPBELL — Phil Campbell High School expects its new field house to be completed in mid-August, replacing a facility that dates to the 1970s.

Franklin County Schools Superintendent Greg Hamilton said the cost of the project is $1,593,302. The contractor is Butler Construction. The bid was awarded Nov. 13, 2025. Six sealed bids were submitted. Lathan McKee Architecture was awarded the bid.

Head football coach Jacob Hamilton said he’s looking forward to the students having access to the newer facility.

“We’re really hoping it’s done by August,” Hamilton said. “The target date is around Aug. 15, which is right at the start of the season.”

Principal Bart Moss said the project has been a priority for the system since the current field house has reached the end of its useful life.

“It has been a long time coming,” Moss said. “The old field house is about 50 years old, and one can imagine the issues it has.”

Hamilton said the new facility will include a head coach’s office, an assistant coach’s office, a locker room with 50 lockers, and an equipment room with space for uniform storage and laundry.

A large multipurpose weight room will connect to the locker room and serve multiple sports programs.

“You can leave the locker room or the weight room and go straight out onto the turf practice field,” Hamilton said.

School officials plan to keep the existing field house and repurpose it for storage and other uses, he said.

“Our current locker room will be used for visitors and junior high,” Hamilton said. “My current office will become a space for referees.”

He said the new facility will address longstanding issues with space and functionality.

“Sometimes freshmen have to share lockers now, and that won’t be the case anymore,” Hamilton said. “Our current showers don’t work, so the new facility will give our players a place to shower.”

Construction has not disrupted daily operations but has helped build excitement among players, Hamilton said.

He said discussions about a new field house began several years ago and gained momentum more recently.

“We started talking about it around 2023,” he said. “This past year is when construction planning really picked up. This new facility will benefit not just football, but all athletics,” Hamilton said. “It’s great for school pride.”

Moss credited Franklin County Schools Superintendent Hamilton with helping move the project forward.

“I really appreciate Mr. Hamilton for making this a priority,” he said.