Forest Hills School District has launched a capital campaign seeking private donations to upgrade the Nagel Middle School stadium.

The Nagel Capital Campaign pairs a district-funded turf field and track resurfacing with a community fundraising drive for additional stadium improvements. Nagel is the district's only middle school, serving nearly 1,100 students and connecting six elementary schools to Anderson and Turpin high schools. The district is using permanent improvement levy funds for the turf and track. The campaign seeks private and corporate money for everything else.

What the district is funding

FHSD committed levy dollars to replace the worn grass field with turf and resurface the existing asphalt track. The work was estimated at $1,469,250 on the district's ongoing projects page and was listed among projects scheduled to begin in summer 2026.

The money comes from a combination levy that included 1.5 mills for the permanent improvement fund, approved by voters in May 2023. That levy began generating revenue in 2024. By law, permanent improvement funds must go toward properties, assets or improvements with an estimated useful life of five years or more.

Why the field needed replacing

The grass playing surface had been a persistent problem. Four Nagel football teams use the field each fall, four lacrosse teams each spring, and community groups rent it for outside athletics. Nearly 1,100 students also use it for school activities. The result, according to the district, was a surface stuck in a cycle of dirt patches and mud.

Superintendent Larry Hook detailed the decision-making process at the Board of Education meeting on Nov. 19, 2025. The district said the wear and tear could present safety concerns and that turf would reduce yearly maintenance costs. The track, historically a basic asphalt surface, was also slated for an upgraded finish for runners and walkers.

What the capital campaign covers

Phase 2 depends entirely on donations. The campaign page lists these planned additions:

  • A 1,200-seat bleacher system
  • A press box
  • Scoreboard and sound system upgrades
  • Upgraded concession area and restrooms
  • An entryway structure with donor bricks and a ticket booth

The district has not published a fundraising goal for Phase 2. Its campaign page says an online donation portal is not yet live but directs interested residents and businesses to email [email protected]. Architectural firm SHP produced tentative renderings of the finished complex in January 2026, though the district notes those designs could change as the campaign progresses.

Broader capital spending

Nagel is not the only facility getting work. Turpin High School was also listed for its own turf-and-track project in summer 2026, estimated at $1,233,750. Together, the two stadium projects account for more than $2.7 million of the district's capital plan.

Residents can track all planned and completed projects on the district's ongoing projects page.