Renovations to the Prairie High School's John Wall Field, including an all-weather surface and additional seating, moved a step closer to reality Monday night when the College Community School Board set a public hearing on the project for Monday, Feb. 21, at 7 p.m.

The board expects to advertise for bids on the project the next day, so work can be expedited and everything ready to go by next football season, said Dick Whitehead, District Superintendent. Engineering work is about 95 percent complete, he said. 

In addition to the all-weather surface, visiting seating will be replaced and 1,400 seats added to the home side, welcome news to band members and younger students who have been relegated to the end zones in the past.  A storage building is included in the project, as well as a decorative colored concrete entryway.

Cost of the work is estimated at $1.9 million, although the final figure will not be known until engineering is completed and bidding is conducted.