A reminder for patrons of the Atlantic Community School District: The Atlantic School District Facilities Planning Committee will host the first of two public meetings tonight, in order to explain the District’s proposed $9.5 million facilities renovation plan. The meeting in the High School Auditorium begins at 6-p.m. Kipp Harris, Nick Hunt, Bob Sweeney and Jennifer Saathoff and other committee members will be on hand to present the proposal to the public and answer questions. The next meeting takes place Feb. 6th, same time and place.

A vote on the issuance of bonds will take place April 2^nd, with Early voting open on March 4th. If the bond referendum passes in April, there would be a multitude of improvements for safety and aesthetic reasons. The changes would include: A synthetic turf at the high school soccer field; Renovation of the Trojan Bowl with a new natural grass surface…new home concessions…ticket booths…and restrooms; More storage; A four-lane rubber track; Visitor parking, and, new bleachers on the home and visitor side. The proposal also calls for: site paving, lighting and sound, and a new scoreboard.

A parking lot for staff is also being proposed at the site of the tennis courts west of Washington Elementary. A new bus loading and unloading area is planned to reduce the congestion at Washington Elementary and the Middle School. The proposal also includes six tennis courts to be built north of the high school soccer field.

Other proposed improvements include those to the baseball and softball complex.