FEATURED COLUMNIST
New Brighton Middle School Field Renovation A Priority
T
he New Brighton Middle School Field is in less-than-optimal condition. None of our school fields is in optimal condition, for that matter. Our students deserve better. Quite honestly, despite a lot of hard work from our staff, the gopher problem is something we haven’t been able to conquer. Therefore, we are prioritizing field enhancements as we look at ongoing facility improvement projects. We are going to start with the NBMS field. All our students ultimately matriculate to that school. The school boasts an awardwinning physical education team of teachers who deserve a better field to teach their lessons. Our NBMS athletic director coordinates a robust interscholastic sports program supporting our student-athletes with meaningful opportunities. Fortunately, due to matching state funds from our 2016 General Obligation Bond, Measure C, we have just enough money to make a field at NBMS happen. To pursue renovating the fields at our elementary schools, we will need to find additional revenue streams. We have gathered input from our NBMS physical education team, athletic director, and principal. We have partnered with a local architectural firm to take that input and design the first vision of our new field. Fortunately, this same architectural team is the one who created the field at Shoreline Middle School in Live Oak. The field at Live Oak has been a huge success and one our athletic teams look forward to playing on. We want to give them that same opportunity for their home games. The initial plans for the area include the following: • Soccer field: 330’ x 195’ • Practice soccer fields (2): 195’ x 135’ • Jogging track: 3 lanes, 4’ wide lanes • Sprint 100-meter track: 5 lanes at 42” per lane. • Multi-ese courts (2) 30’ x 60’ EA (Volleyball and PE) • Long jump pit, high jump, circuit training
By Scott J. Turnbull, Superintendent, Soquel Union Elementary School District
• Four sets of bleachers under the solar array • A scoreboard at the opposite side of the soccer field along the halfway line Another vital renovation component is our plan to use artificial turf instead of natural grass. The gopher issue is mitigated by the decision to use artificial turf. The quality of artificial turf has come a long way over the years and now has increased shock absorption for increased player safety. The product we plan to implement is called PureFill and includes organic cork granules and sand. Cork is natural, environmentfriendly, and non-toxic. Our school district wants to ensure the local community is informed about our plans for the NBMS Field. We have presented to our School Board, Capitola City Council meetings, and our district’s Community Forum. The Community Forum was promoted not just within our parent distribution lists but also on our social media channels, Nextdoor, Santa Cruz Sentinel, and even old-fashioned hard copies dropped off at the houses close to the school in proximity. While we are in the beginning stages of this project, we don’t want anyone in our community to be surprised when we put the first shovel in the ground at NBMS. With the significant investment the NBMS field project will require, we will put fencing around the field to protect our investment. The fencing has the added safety benefit of a barrier between Monterey Park and the campus during school hours. School and student use of the field will always be
30 / March 2024 / Capitola Soquel Times www.tpgonlinedaily.com
prioritized. When not being utilized by our school and students, though, we proudly anticipate community use through our facilities use process. It is also important to note that we are working with our partners at the City of Capitola to ensure community access to Monterey Park alongside the back of the field. The field project at NBMS will be the latest in a series of improvements for our physical education and interscholastic sports programs. We have added modern locker rooms and a dance studio within the last several years. We also renovated our gymnasium (including a new floor). Another project that will take place within the next six months will be resurfacing our outdoor basketball courts at the school. Like any project of this magnitude, the NBMS Field Renovation will take some time.
We are currently busy doing all the prep work (and paperwork) to set us up for success. Once we get started on the project, there will be a period in which the field is not usable by anyone. No great construction project comes without a period of inconvenience, as we all know. We couldn’t be more thrilled to put the plans for the NBMS Field Renovation in motion. It will ultimately be an incredible resource for our students, staff, and community. One day, when we can secure additional revenues, we can take the field project at NBMS and replicate it at an elementary level at Soquel Elementary School, Main Street Elementary School, and Santa Cruz Gardens Elementary School. n ••• Scott J. Turnbull is superintendent at Soquel Union Elementary School District.