Alter sports facility expansion plan closer to goal
Alter High School has expansion plans that include a new fieldhouse and has passed the halfway point in an $8 million fundraising campaign.
The fieldhouse would replace the Kettering school’s auxiliary gym, Alter Principal and CEO Lourdes Lambert said. Estimated to cost $6.5 million, it is the most expensive project in the first phase of a campus-wide renovation, according to school records.
“We are just over $5 million (with cash) on hand at this point. So, we’re about 60% of the way there,” Lambert said.
While no specific target date is set, “my internal goal — my personal goal — is to have full funding by the end of the calendar year,” she added.
The fieldhouse would be a 16,000 square foot multi-purpose site that includes three courts, more space for wrestling, golf, batting practice facilities and utility storage, according to Alter records.
Alter recently received city of Kettering approval to add 119 parking spaces in front of the East David Road school as “part of a larger future project intended to expand athletic facilities and intensify athletic activities,” city records show.
If Kettering approves permits, Lambert said the goal is to start construction of the parking expansion Sept. 9 following the annual Labor Day weekend AlterFest.
Plans for the fieldhouse have not been submitted to the city because the archdiocese allows its member schools to move forward with only fully funded projects, she said.
“We’re not permitted to take out any loans and we have to have cash on hand,” Lambert said.
Other facets of the first part of Alter’s expansion plans include relocating the weight and training room (estimated to cost $300,000), and new administrative offices ($250,000), school records show.
The projects “will have an immediate, profound impact on our student athletes to provide on-site and available practice and training facilities,” according to the school’s website.
“Additionally, programs like intramurals and alumni leagues will become new opportunities for more community members to connect.”
Future phases that don’t include cost projections involve a new baseball field, new locker rooms, a 6,500-square-foot two story entry and student commons, and a 3,500-seat capacity grandstand, according to Alter records.