SEQUIM — As part of the Sequim School District’s proposed 20-year, $146 million construction bond, district leaders have proposed improving the athletic stadium and field and neighboring bus loop.
Superintendent Regan Nickels said they resurfaced the track over the summer for safety concerns and because that work was well past the industry standard.
“We resurfaced it so that students could actually be on it and be safe,” she said.
“The resurfacing gave students an adequate place to actually practice and host local events because they hadn’t been able to for the past three years.”
“It’s safe now without big potholes and trip hazards,” said Mike Santos, the district’s director of facilities, operations and security.
The track was last resurfaced in 1996, and Santos said manufacturers recommend replacement every 10 years.
Track meets had not been held in Sequim for three years due to disrepair.
The former track was demolished in July and replaced at a cost of $363,299 under the district’s Capital Projects Levy voters approved in 2021. The pole vault runway was also relocated for about $39,000 and stadium lights were replaced for about $85,000.
Nickels said district leaders assessed whether to improve the track, but “we decided the kids needed to come first because they weren’t able to practice here to the degree that they needed to, and they weren’t hosting any meets.”
Santos said it was needed due to the daily school and community use, and they received a good deal on the project.
Track and field
While the track has been resurfaced, district leaders said many issues remain with the bleachers, the football/soccer field and press box.
Santos said the track is not regulation size.
“So the track itself actually has to be pushed out 4 feet, and if it’s pushed out 4 feet, then lengthened by 5 feet, and then the corners rebuilt on the straightaways,” he said.
“Then it’ll be regulation size for statewide meets.”
Santos said standards for the original dirt track were built correctly to standards in the 1960s.
However, Nickels said the track’s size has impacted the field as it barely meets the minimum requirement size for high school soccer play.
“It is an adequate dimension to play, but it is not the preferred width to play soccer, and that is because of the width of the track,” she said.
Nickels said regional soccer officials brought to their attention the field’s playing conditions and that they were going to pull officials from Sequim events due to safety concerns.
She said district officials feel children have not been truly at risk, but the officials’ concerns highlighted some mutual concerns, such as soccer players needing to travel across the track to fetch and/or throw in balls, which could be disorienting for visiting teams.
District officials said soccer officials were concerned about some areas on the field that were sunk in due to poor drainage.
Santos said if voters pass the bond, the district could save a portion of the track for renovations, but size and space issues with the field and bleachers conflict with the project.
“What’s important to understand is there is no room to widen the track right now,” he said.
“So we would have to move structures and lights.”
The district replaced the lights to become LED, and they’ll keep those, he said, but the wooden poles need to be replaced, and they’ll remove overhead electrical lines and put vaults in the ground.
As for the field’s surfacing, Nickels said they know the pros and cons of grass and turf and will confer with experts about the best decision as it’s a multi-purpose field.
“We are not at all decided (on grass or turf),” she said.
Renovating other fields is possible, but Nickels said they must pass the bond to receive funds to begin planning and to assess strategies.
“For athletic fields, you’re not getting funding for anything,” she said.
District officials said they continue to seek recreational athletic fields and facility grants and recently lost out on one to replace the tennis courts.
Nickels said it wasn’t because their application wasn’t good, but because of various standards, such as socioeconomic status and proximity to nearby facilities.
“We’re trying, but it’s very challenging,” she said.
Part of the bond proposal has Helen Haller Elementary moving into a new building behind its existing site.
Santos said the district plans to raze the old building since it will receive $5.2 million from the State Construction Assistance Program (SCAP) due to the school’s age and deteriorating condition.
He said it’s possible the former school site could become green space, but that is still to be determined.
Stadium
Nickels said the bleachers often are inspected and maintained for insurance purposes. However, they do not comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act, and if they make upgrades to the stadium area, then ADA standards would no longer be grandfathered in, district staff said.
Fans and community members have asked for ADA access and covered seating, Santos said.
While design elements are still to be determined, he said he’s unsure if covered grandstands would be in the bond proposal due to costs.
“You have to determine what are the have-to-haves and the nice-to-haves at some point,” he said.
He said the bathrooms and bleachers would be made ADA compliant, with the restrooms being repaired as vandalism has led the district to close one bathroom area and bring in portable toilets.
They also would look to build new concessions facilities and storage for various sports teams’ equipment pads, nets, etc.
Santos said the district would need to purchase protective netting that should be in place when multiple sports are using the track and field.
Bus loop
Similar to a proposed redesign of the Greywolf Elementary bus loop and parking lot, district officials plan for the bond to address the stadium parking lot and bus loop too.
Nickels said they have three priorities: To better control traffic and get buses off of Fir Street and onto the campus, have pickup at approved bus loops, and have an access road for public safety, groundskeeping, and athletics and event staff.
She said it would not impact the nearby baseball and softball fields and would tentatively go between the stadium and Helen Haller Elementary from the parking lot, to Sequim Middle School and over to Sequim High School by its H Building parking lot. The stadium parking lot would be redesigned too.
For more information on the proposed bond and four-year, $36.2 million EP&O levy renewal, visit sequimschools.org.
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Matthew Nash is a reporter with the Olympic Peninsula News Group, which is composed of Sound Publishing newspapers Peninsula Daily News, Sequim Gazette and Forks Forum. He can be reached by email at matthew.nash@sequimgazette.com.
