Wells Update: A Reminder About Dogs; Construction Coming
Updated: 1 hour ago
[October 30, 2026]
Erica Caldwell, Wells Business Manager sends this reminder about dogs and school grounds:
We need the Hillsdale community’s help to ensure our school grounds remain safe, sanitary, and welcoming for all students. Please review these critical rules and safety reminders regarding dogs on campus:
Student Safety Comes First. This past Friday during the school day, one of our students was bitten by a dog being walked on a leash on our Ida B. Wells HS track. Beyond being a frightening experience for the teen, animal bites carry significant risks of infection from unknown animals. If your dog has any potential to bite, react unpredictably, or become stressed around crowds and children, please do not walk it on school campus. Additionally, dogs must never be off-leash on school property at any time.
Why Dogs Are Not Allowed on Track, Turf Fields and Play Areas. Please keep all dogs off our track, play areas and artificial turf fields. Synthetic turf functions essentially like a carpet—unlike natural soil, urine and feces do not saturate or filter down into the ground. Instead, waste remains trapped on the surface material, creating severe health, odor, and hygiene hazards.
Health Hazards: A single gram of dog feces contains up to 23 million bacteria—including E. coli, Salmonella, Campylobacter, and Giardia—as well as parasites like roundworms and hookworms. When student-athletes slide, fall, or have open cuts on the field, exposure to lingering waste poses serious infection risks.
Ammonia Odors: Nitrogen and uric acid in dog urine crystallize in turf fibers when unwashed, releasing persistent, foul ammonia smells.
Biofilm and Pathogens: Uncleaned turf develops a slimy bacterial layer (biofilm) that traps odors and can harbor resilient viruses such as Parvovirus or Canine Distemper.
Looking Ahead to Our Campus Rebuild With our school rebuilding project set for 2029 and a full transition to artificial turf athletic fields by 2030, establishing strong community habits now is essential. Respecting our current facilities ensures a clean, safe environment for today’s students while protecting the long-term investment in our neighborhood's future play spaces.
Please help us keep our children safe and our play areas clean. Thank you for your cooperation!
Whatever your position on public access to the Wells grounds after school hours (see our article on the land use appeal), school policies and standards of behavior still apply: Dogs are not allowed on the track, artificial turf, or play areas. Hillsdale News would like to remind everyone to be a good neighbor and follow the rules. This is especially relevant given that the neighborhood association is working hard to try to retain public access to the campus following the rebuild.
Modernization Update
From the Wells Bond Modernization webpage:
Design is 75% complete.
The new building is expected to be completed in fall 2029, with the athletic facilities scheduled for completion by fall 2030.
Students will remain in the old building during construction.
Most outdoor athletics, other than softball, will be relocated to Jackson Middle School.
Construction is expected to begin in December. A groundbreaking ceremony announced earlier has been postponed.
Construction Logistics Plan
PPS will host a Neighborhood Construction Impacts Meeting on Wednesday, November 18, from 6-7pm in the Ida B. Wells cafeteria. The general contractor, Hoffman Construction, and other members of the project team will explain the construction logistics plan and answer questions from community members.
Advocacy by the Hillsdale Farmers’ Market and Hillsdale Neighborhood Association resulted in an agreement with PPS allowing the Market to relocate to the south end of the parking lot during construction. The north end, where the Market normally operates, will be used for equipment staging.
—Valeurie Friedman
Questions? Comments? Let us know.
