Murrysville council has signed off on a major overhaul of Franklin Regional School District's athletics footprint, unanimously approving land-development plans for roughly $10 million in upgrades to fields and facilities. The multi-site package will revamp Haymaker Park and the high-school campus, with plans to returf fields, rebuild the tennis courts, and add a new multipurpose pitch near Panther Stadium. Work will be phased, so some parts of the complex can reopen later this year while other elements wrap up toward the end of 2026.
As reported by TribLIVE, the council's vote was unanimous and came after more than a year of planning and public meetings. According to Citizen Portal, the Franklin Regional School Board had previously voted in 2025 to borrow about $10 million to fund the work.
Where the work will happen
Municipal planning documents show the filings cover Haymaker Park at 3950 Reed Blvd and the Franklin Regional main campus at 3200 School Rd, listed together under application SP-3-26. Per the Municipality of Murrysville planning agenda, the Planning Commission reviewed the proposal in April before sending it on to council for a final decision.
Scope of the upgrades
Municipal filings describe the land-development package as a broad “returfing and improvements” project that reaches across multiple fields, courts and playground areas. As reported by TribLIVE, the softball and baseball fields will be replaced with synthetic turf, and the plan folds in upgrades to bleachers, dugouts and batting cages. TribLIVE also notes that at the closed tennis courts, players and spectators have had to rely on portable toilets during construction.
Timeline and financing
District leaders have said the work will be phased to limit disruption, with pieces of the complex reopening as they are finished. A board action in November 2025 authorized staff to pursue design-build financing capped at around $10.5 million and allowed preparatory work to begin. According to Citizen Portal, that authorization lets the financing team prepare documents for a formal borrowing vote and estimated that construction could be finished by the end of 2026 if permitting and paperwork stay on track.
Officials say the upgrades should cut down on weather-related cancellations and lower long-term maintenance costs compared with grass fields, though neighbors and teams will have to tolerate some temporary closures and construction noise along the way. Residents and youth-sports organizers are being advised to watch for scheduling updates from the district and the municipality as permits are finalized and construction timelines firm up.
