Prompted by the success of recent teams and a total collaborative effort from Pam Pack supporters, Washington High School athletics is getting a new home.

With support from the Washington Athletic Club and the county commissioners, the school is preparing to break ground on a 4,020-square-foot field house fitted not only football, but all sports that require its use as well. Programs like soccer, track and field and tennis will now have access to a more comfortable and functional facility.

“This is something that’s been talked about since I’ve been hired at Washington,” said Washington Athletic Director Jon Blank. “Now, I guess the timing was right and the right people involved. It’s worked out. It’s great that it lines up with the success that we’re having right now. Maybe that has swayed some of the opinions of some people who were on the outside looking in.”

The facility was designed by John McGahey of McGahey Design, a firm based in Garner. McGahey, a graduate of Washington, pieced together the plans this summer and did so free of charge. The blueprint depicts a sizable weight room, home and visiting locker rooms, two restrooms, office and storage space and a room for the athletic trainer. Two glass doors in the front of the building will open up to the southeast end zone behind the goal post.

“Money is the key to everything and when money is available to do things, you’re able to upgrade. When it’s not, you have to deal with what you have,” said head football coach Sport Sawyer. “Right now I think they’re able to help us out a little bit and we’re excited about it. The commissioners, the board of education, everyone is pulling together to make this happen.”

Without a field house, Washington and visiting teams have reluctantly made use of sub-par locker rooms and a weight room facility, located on the second floor of the David W. Smith Gymnasium. Outside of basketball and volleyball, the location is an inconvenience, requiring teams to walk from the outdoor fields inside in order to simply use the restroom.

It’s a problem the alumni noticed early on, and for the last 20 years, the Athletic Club has saved for a project of this magnitude. While the final price tag has yet to be announced, a team of alumni is working within the budget, avoiding glitzy amenities and aiming for functionality.

On April 14, just 24 hours into his new title as athletic director, Blank sat down with alumni and discussed in detail the idea of finally putting together this project. Coming off a 2-A state championship appearance and an impressive 14-2 season in football, the timing was perfect, most of the pieces in place. After a couple weeks of lobbying, the county commissioners and school board appropriated excess funds in the school budget to be used toward the new field house.

“The first meetings we had was with coaches and the athletic director and we basically put a wish list together,” said Athletic Club member Walker Lynch. “We did the initial numbers on that and the estimates were well over a million dollars. We’ve watered that down to a facility that meets the needs of the program. It won’t be a flashy show place. It’ll meet the needs of what the school needs based on the budget we have.”

Adhering to building regulations from the Department of Public Instruction, the bids for general plumbing, mechanical and construction work will take place on Aug. 26. Once the proposals have been selected, organizers will know the final price of the project. The plan is to break ground some time in September.

“We feel Washington High School has kind of been neglected when it comes to facilities for quite a while now,” Blank said. “Finally, we have some people who are interested in making the school up to par where everyone else is in the county.”

Washington opens the football season on Aug. 21 at home against Havelock.