New year, new fields: Measure E funds sports renovations

Sports facilities and fields will begin undergoing renovations starting June 8, adding FieldTurf to the upper field and softball field. A bank of lights will also be installed on the upper field to allow for night practices.

The upgrades are funded by $3.75 million of the $44 million portion of the Measure E bond allocated to SHS.

Originally, the construction of permanent lighting in these areas was going to be postponed because of budget issues.

Now, the construction management team has revised plans so that dirt will be moved to other parts of the fields instead of hauled away; enough money has thus been saved for permanent sports lighting.

The lighting will be installed on the softball field and adjacent multi-use field so that more games, practices and camps can be held. In past years, activities such as band, lacrosse, soccer, field hockey and football practiced under portable lighting. Once the new lighting is in place, more sports, such as softball, will be able to play at night.

“It was hard to see during practice when we used movable lights,” said junior Kaitlyn Chen, varsity soccer and track athlete. “Games will be nicer with some more night games because with games always being right after school, we wouldn't really have an audience.”

The lighting at night also increases the safety of the field for athletes and pedestrians.

In addition, with the softball field and upper field being turfed, administrators said the areas would be safer for athletes to play on. By grading and leveling out the ground, workers will eliminate the clumps and gopher holes that currently plague the fields, thereby reducing the risk of injury and improving the fairness of games.

“Athletes will have a consistent surface, which means the balls bounce truer, you can change direction better and when the field gets wet, it drains better so there will be less slipping,” principal Paul Robinson said. “In all, it will greatly enhance how players perform.”

In addition, Measure E will fund renovation of the softball field. The softball team will benefit from the movement of the dugouts closer to the bases. New bleachers will be installed on both fields, allowing spectators to sit closer and see more of the games. Permanent lines will be drawn on the turf so that athletes no longer have to deal with faded, ambiguous lines.

In a year or two, the school will also build a new multipurpose room that is approximately 70 feet by 100 feet, a little larger than the Small Gym. The multipurpose room will provide a large space for many groups on campus to use. It will be built on the north side of the tennis courts, replacing some parking lot spaces.

The multipurpose room will have features of the Small Gym, such as court space, bleachers and basketball hoops, in addition to a projection system to facilitate large presentations.

“[The multipurpose room] will meet a lot of the needs for our athletic, music and extracurricular programs,” Robinson said.

“We’re very excited about it all happening as soon as possible.”