Falls Church HS renovation will include athletic fields

Many of the improvements in the Falls Church High School renovation/expansion project have been completed, but much more work needs to be done.

Everything in the initial scope of work will happen, said school board member Ricardy Anderson, at a community meeting at the school on Nov. 13.

While the athletic field component had been cut due to cost increases, those improvements have been added back in as a result of advocacy from the community, Anderson said.

The Falls Church renovation was originally funded with a school bond approved by voters in 2017. FCPS initially allocated $100 million for the project, but the pandemic led to construction cost increases nationwide, upping the project to $133 million. Supply chain disruptions led to a two-year delay.

As a result of the cost increases, Fairfax County Public Schools re-evaluated the project and dropped some items, including the athletic field improvements, from the scope of work.

In response to complaints from the community, FCPS promised last year to reinstate those changes with funding from other, unidentified sources. The only item not funded so far is lighting for the athletic fields, but FCPS officials insist that will be done.

Related story: Falls Church HS renovation is ‘back on track’

Because FCPS had removed the athletic fields from the scope of work, it has to apply for new permits.

If the project runs out of money for things like furniture, FCPS has a reserve fund, said Scott Eschbach of the FCPS facilities department.

Architect Sean O’Donnell of Perkins Eastman described the status of the project and said it’s on track to be completed in 2026.

A two-story addition housing science and math classrooms, the library, music rehearsal rooms, other music classrooms, black box theater, auto shop, kitchen, culinary arts section, design tech studio, and half of the special education classrooms have been completed, O’Donnell said.

The cafeteria is nearly finished, with more seating to be added. The planetarium is mostly completed.

A Falls Church student complained about the lack of bathrooms near the new science wing, resulting in long lines at other bathrooms. O’Donnell noted that four new bathrooms are about to come online. “Being in a building undergoing construction presents some challenges,” he said.

Under phase 2, the auditorium, with seating for more than 700 people, and a new entrance with a secure lobby will be completed in the first quarter of 2025.

Related story: First phase of Falls Church High School expansion nearly completed

Phase 3 will start in the second or third quarter of 2025 and should be completed by spring 2026, O’Donnell said.

Phase 3 includes the physical education wing, business and marketing classrooms, the main gym, the auxiliary gym, the theater wing, weight room, wrestling room, and the remaining English classrooms.

In response to a parent worried about the gym not being completed for 2025 fall sports, O’Donnell said students will have to use the auxiliary gym next fall.

Other areas under construction include the administration wing, the academy wing, the entrance, and terraced amphitheater space in front of the building.

Outdoor improvements in the final stages include a new stadium entrance, new concession stand with restrooms, new ticket booth, and new field equipment storage building. The stadium field has already been replaced.

The athletic fields are part of phase 4, to be done in summer 2026. That includes a reconfigured softball field; a new shotput area; new press box, dugouts, and backstop for the baseball field; new dugouts, press box, and scoreboard for the softball field; and aluminum baseball and softball bleachers.

Those upgrades are included in the renovation but the cost, funding source, and schedule are being developed.

The project includes 122,000 square feet of additional space for a total of 429,000 square feet. When completed, the building will have a design capacity of 2,500, an increase of 543.

The number of parking spaces at the school will be increased from 270 to 302. Students can also use 79 spaces at Providence Rec Center. Traffic circulation around the school will be improved.

The project also includes new floor finishes, walls, ceilings, doors, windows, lighting, sprinklers, fire alarms, and sound systems.

Anyone with concerns or questions about the project can submit feedback here.