Members of the Southwick Cross Country team warm up on the gravel athletic track located at Powder Mill Middle School Tuesday. (Photo by Frederick Gore)
SOUTHWICK – The Southwick-Tolland-Granville Regional High School (STGRHS) is getting a new track thanks to the generosity of a donor.
The donor, who Superintendent John Barry said would be publicly named, offered the district $400,000 toward a new track. The school department would need to pay about an additional $200,000.
Last night the regional school committee voted to transfer $98,488 in unexpended 2011 capital funds to the track project.
“This will get us started on soft costs,” said Barry.
Barry stressed that there would be no cost to taxpayers for the project, which falls under the category of a public works project.
“We have been borrowing for capital improvements for a long time,” he said. “There are four years where we have unexpended balances. We’re paying the debt service and it has to be expended and can’t be used to pay down the debt.”
The district sent out a request for qualifications yesterday to hire a project manager.
“We want to move as fast as we can to get a total cost by Christmas,” said Barry.
The current track has greatly deteriorated. Barry said some other schools have requested to move meets scheduled at STGRHS to their own track.
STGRHS Senior Gabrielle Strong, captain of the cross-country team, said the track is challenging.
“It’s really hard to dig into the track because of the gravel,” said Strong. “Every step you take, you’re sliding backwards.”
The cross-country route was changed this year because of construction at the schools and now has a short span of time on the track.
Strong said puddles are a major hurdle on the current track.
“It’s uneven and when it rains water collects to the divots and it slows you down,” she said. “It’s not an ideal place for cross-country.”
