Discussion of a planned athletic complex turned into a long debate on safety versus practicality Thursday night during a Francis Howell Board of Education workshop.

The school district is planning to create four new ball fields at Francis Howell High School just west of the campus' new $53 million academic building.

The $2.4 million project would add a practice football field, softball field and two baseball fields for varsity and junior varsity teams. Howell High already has an artificial turf field but no other fields. The board is scheduled to vote on the plan Feb. 16.

A debate broke out Thursday between board members Mike Hoehn and Mark Lafata. Hoehn argued the plan would jeopardize kids' safety by placing student foot traffic in the path of bus traffic.

Lafata said he supported the administration's plan, which had been reviewed and approved by multiple levels of district officials and faculty. Lafata discounted Hoehn's concerns as unfounded and ridiculous.

The discussion became so heated that Lafata stood up, declared it a "waste of time," shook his head and left the room for a few minutes before returning.

Administrators have said adding four new fields at Howell High is one of the top priorities on the district's list of facilities needs. Many district residents have taken exception to the plan, demanding the district first add artificial turf fields to its two other high schools, Francis Howell Central and Francis Howell North.

But administrators have countered that those schools already have additional grass ball fields. Though Howell High's single field might be considered higher quality than the Central and North grass fields, administrators said the lack of additional fields creates a burden for students who must travel off-site for baseball and other sports practice.

The athletic complex would be built over what is now a field with an annex building and a bus parking lot along Highway 94. The lot currently houses 53 of the district's 180 buses. Most of the remaining buses are housed on a lot on Central School Road.

To accommodate four ball fields, the bus lot would have to be moved to the tract's northeast corner. Buses would enter from the south off Highway 94 and travel north along a paved road to the new bus parking lot. This road, following a drainage creek to the east, would stand between the ball fields and the rest of the school campus. Students coming from the school would use a small bridge to cross over the creek. The bridge would lead to a crosswalk, where the students would cross the road to access the ball fields.

Hoehn said it did not make sense to place a crosswalk at the entrance of what he called a "bus garage." Lafata said there would always be safety concerns wherever buses were involved, but it was up to faculty and parents to control kids during ball practice and games.

Hoehn said the situation would not be as controlled as Lafata and administrators described. Kids would be going back and forth between the fields and the school at odd times, fetching equipment and chasing runaway balls.

Lafata said it is a safety concern to have buses coming and going from every school every day and to have buses picking up students at bus stops and driving down neighborhood streets, but that adults use common sense and precautions to deal with these concerns.

Board member Marty Hodits said the buses would not be on the lot after school when most practice periods take place. Hodits said he had concerns about the cost of the project, but was comfortable that safety was not a problem.

Chief Financial Officer Kevin Supple outlined other options for relocating the buses, but each carries increased costs and logistical obstacles. Keeping the buses at Howell High is the most practical, cost-efficient option, he said.