The Fern Ridge School District bond was passed in June and approved $16.115 million to improve the district’s facilities. HVAC, classroom spaces, and athletic facilities are some examples of what the district plans to make improvements on.
One of the largest and most sought after improvements by students is the addition of a turf field. The turf field will not require as much maintenance as a grass field does. Lines will not need to be painted on the field before games and it won’t get muddy or wet to the point where the field is unplayable.
“It’s also going to cut our water intake on our fields,” assistant principal Joel Smith told Falcon News. “We’ll have extra water to go around which will improve our surfaces on our grass fields.”
Sophomore soccer player Rainee Foltz shares her excitement for the new playing field.
“I am very excited about having the new turf field for soccer,” she said. “Hopefully we will be able to practice on it, but for game time it will be very beneficial.”
Architects and surveyors have already visited the district’s grounds and planned out construction. They plan to break ground on April 1.
Currently, the design team is looking at options for turf and track materials along with exploring if the turf and track provider could manage the whole athletics project.
Elmira High School’s current track is a thin one, which can lead to shin splints and injured athletes.
“With a better track your athletes aren’t going to get injured as much,” Principal Cydney Vandercar said.
The project is expected to be finished Sept. 1 of this year. Once construction starts, athletes will have to practice elsewhere whether it be inside or another school’s track.
The current game field will be used as a practice field for football and soccer athletes. As of Jan. 13, plans to level out the field and add a practice area for track and field athletes do not have a set start date.
Along with the track and field construction, the parking lot will be completely paved with no gravel and lined all the way across. The snack shack, restrooms, and team room will be combined for efficient plumbing and electricity use.
Sophomore track and field thrower Naomi Pew expresses her weariness about the project.
“I’m not excited about them tearing down the field, definitely because that’s going to be halfway through the track season,” Pew says. “Having to practice on a completely different field or having new throwing facilities… I just don’t know how to feel about it.”
Though it may be rough during the season, Pew expresses how much she is looking forward to throwing in the new facility.
“I’m very excited for the new track and field facility,” the athlete said. “Getting to throw in a new discus and shot put ring, plus a new javelin runway will be beneficial.”
There is potential for the addition of JV softball and baseball fields in the open field behind Elmira Elementary School.
“We really won’t know … the scope of all the other stuff until [the track and field is] done and buttoned up and all the costs … have been finalized,” Smith told Falcon News.
Smith explains how having these extra practice spaces allow more availability to everyone.
“If we can get a JV baseball field in that, with the throws, and then a JV softball field, now we’ve got extra practice fields that not only our teams can use but our community can access as well,” the vice-principal said.
Once school has been let out in June 2025, upgrades to the Veneta Elementary School gyms and restrooms, along with the EHS science classrooms will begin.
One project that has already been completed is the new walking track at EES. Finished over the summer, it is one-fifth of a mile.
Over the course of the next three years, many projects will be completed with a majority of work getting done over the summer while students are not on campus. The VES and EHS facility upgrades, and EHS track and field projects are expected to be done by the start of the school year in fall of 2025.
