Muskogee Completes $2.5M Practice Facility, Storm Shelter

A Green Country high school just completed an indoor practice facility that will hold more than just the football team.

Voters in Muskogee passed a bond issue two years ago to build the $2.5 million field and locker room space. It can also provide students a shelter from storms.

Up to 16 teams will be able to use the new Muskogee High School Indoor Practice Facility regardless of the weather conditions.

Before the indoor turf field was built, Muskogee High School was crowded with different sports sharing locker rooms, equipment rooms and field space.

Track Coach Angelique Hillmon said it was difficult to keep her team all under one roof.

"It's a sense of, 'we belong here,' instead of just getting moved around everywhere," she said.

Hillmon said she’s excited about the new weight room equipped with treadmills and squat racks.

“To be able to come in here and actually get a team workout for 30-40 minutes without worrying about other people coming in or out, it really feels good," she said.

The indoor field can be partitioned off with motorized curtains allowing multiple teams to use the facility at once.

The training room in the indoor practice facility also doubles as a safe room. It's part of a district-wide initiative to make sure that every new building has one.

Wayne Johnson is happy all teams have a place to practice.

"We were shipping a lot of our athletes off campus. This will allow a lot of our athletes to remain in campus and have facilities available at Muskogee High School," Johnson said.

Hillmon said the athletic program has come a long way since she was in high school.

“To now know what we've come to we can actually get in and pick up weights, we have machines, we have everything that everybody we compete against has. It really feels good," she said.

The public is welcome to come and see the new facility next Wednesday, September 2nd at 4:00.