Staff, Parents, Students, Families, and Community members,

Beginning March 2, 2026, exciting construction will begin on the Festus High School campus. This work includes the construction of a new gymnasium and an indoor fieldhouse/practice facility. The new gymnasium will be situated directly behind the high school in what is currently a large practice field. The indoor fieldhouse will be located beyond the center field fence at Tiger Field.

Beginning March 2, significant site preparation work will start for the construction. This site work and subsequent construction will result in the loss of approximately 200 parking spaces in the parking lot behind the high school.

This map illustrates the parking lot behind the high school. The orange line represents the construction fencing that will restrict access in the parking lot. The spaces marked in black are those restricted during construction. The remaining available parking spaces will be assigned to staff and select students for use during the school day.

Nearly 200 students who currently park at the high school during the school day will be relocated to the new parking lot situated near the Middle School at the intersection of Mid-Meadow Lane and Edgewood Lane.

During the school day, Middle School staff will utilize parking spots located adjacent to the Middle School and along the sidewalk nearest the Middle School (pictured in black in the map above). High school students being relocated to the Middle School lot must park in the spots outlined in green. They are to enter the parking lot from the Mid-Meadow Lane entrance ONLY.  Affected students have been notified of this change and the necessary procedures for daily travel to and from the lot and the school. It is vital that this lot remains free of other cars during the school day to ensure adequate parking for our student drivers.

Construction of the new gymnasium and indoor fieldhouse is projected to take approximately 2½ years to complete. Parking on campus during the school day will be significantly impacted. Additionally, events held at the Performing Arts Center and the baseball/softball field will also experience significant disruption. As events approach, please pay close attention to communications sent by the District and building principals. Specific details about parking for those events will be outlined. It is possible that procedures may need to change from event to event as we learn from our experiences.

With progress comes disruption. We ask for your patience as we navigate these parking challenges.