Marathon high school athletic complex

Site

Marathon High School’s athletic complex occupies a constrained, flood-prone site in the Florida Keys. Poor soils, inadequate stormwater drainage, stringent flood-elevation requirements, high-velocity wind conditions, and limited available land all complicated redevelopment of the campus. Repeated flooding had especially affected the baseball and softball fields, making a comprehensive site solution necessary.

Program Challenge

The Monroe County School District sought to replace and expand the school’s athletic facilities while maintaining full-size baseball and softball fields and adding an NFHS-compliant track. The program also included new concessions and restroom buildings, storage, bleachers, a press box, and reorganized student parking. Fitting all of these elements onto the limited site required careful planning, phasing, and prioritization.

Solution

The design team developed a comprehensive site plan that reorganized the athletic campus and provided the District with a modern, cohesive complex capable of supporting multiple sports and school events.

A critical component of the solution was addressing the site's persistent flooding. By carefully phasing the work, the project was able to reuse surplus fill material from another Monroe County School District project on Plantation Key. The imported material allowed the entire athletic site to be raised approximately 18 inches, substantially improving drainage and reducing its vulnerability to recurring flood conditions.

From there, the selected plan was refined to accommodate the new track, full-size athletic fields, spectator and support facilities, and improved parking while responding to poor soils, flood elevations, stringent wind-load criteria, and environmental requirements. The completed complex gives Marathon High School a renewed home for athletics and a setting that reflects the strong school spirit and accomplishments of its student athletes.