What’s the future for Fort Worth’s Farrington Field? It’s still unclear
The future of Fort Worth’s historic Farrington Field is to be determined, newly appointed Fort Worth Superintendent Peter Licata said Wednesday.
Licata and other school officials gathered Wednesday to listen to residents’ ideas for the future of Farrington Field, which has been a part of the school district for decades but needs millions of dollars in repairs.
Licata said Wednesday that the school district is effectively restarting the renovation process for Farrington Field.
“We realized that this decision needs to be made with a lot more information and openness, because I was not comfortable with making a recommendation to the board,” Licata said.
He added that the state-appointed Board of Managers will make the ultimate decision about the future of Farrington Field. Licata estimated that restarting the process would probably cost the school district about three or four months in the renovation process. Licata added that the full cost of renovations needed for Farrington Field would cost millions. A review from 2021 estimated it would cost at least $26 million to improve the deficiencies in Farrington Field and bring the stadium up to code, said Kellie Spencer, the deputy superintendent of district operations.
“The problem is, I don’t have (that much),” Licata said. “Our schools need it. So we need to hear your ideas.”
School officials promised that the district is not considering demolishing or disposing of Farrington Field, but instead is weighing whether to sell or lease the property surrounding it. Residents at Wednesday’s meeting urged the school district to preserve the historic nature of Farrington Field, which was added to the National Register of Historic Places along with the neighboring Billingsley Field House in 2021
Jerre Tracey, executive director of Historic Fort Worth, recommended that the school district research preservation-focused development firms to work with during the request for proposals process.
Evan Stanley Farrington III, the grandson of Farrington Field’s namesake, spoke Wednesday.
“I want to caution the ISD, the Board of Managers, to be careful about selling off or leasing parcels of land before the entire athletic vision is achieved, until we know exactly what we’re trying to do with Farrington Field,” Farrington said.
Licata urged residents to send ideas and comments to the school district as it moves forward with the renovation process.
