Track construction: What’s the hold up?

By Yolanda Feng

Originally published on October 6, 2016

Track and field head coach Andy Leong and others. Photo by Ciara Kosai

The new polyurethane track construction, delayed from its original completion date, is affecting Physical Education (PE) classes and sport practices. However, despite the uncompleted track, tomorrow’s rally will go on.

The new Lowell track was initially planned to be completed before the school year began, but as of Oct. 6, the track is still not finished. On Aug. 26, project construction manager Mary Fung of the SFUSD.

Facilities Design and Construction Department said the track would be completed by Sept. 16. On Sept. 24, San Francisco and Alameda County project manager Mike Schalchi, under the Agbayani Construction Corporation that is the general contractor of the track project, estimated the track to be completed by mid-October subject due to weather conditions.

The fall Spirit Rally on Oct. 7 will continue to take place because the construction is temporarily stopped and the current state of the track is strong enough to support students walking, not running, on the track, according to assistant principal of Building and Grounds Holly Giles.

Construction crews have been working on the track since May 9. The project was delayed due to several factors, according to Fung. Construction workers had to remove underground equipment such as a drain in the way and dead sprinkler lines that were discovered in the middle of construction. In order to accommodate the track edges and D-zone, the area between the field end zone and the running track, construction workers had to do extra landscaping and grading on the south end of the field to clear overgrown shrubs and trees. Patching and repairs were required in a few areas.

Asphalt layer of the track. Photo by Leonard Caoili

The high demand for supplies from manufacturers caused an extended late delivery time. The construction team also went to Los Angeles mid-September to bring back the rubberize equipment needed for the project, according to Schalchi. Weather conditions such as fog and rain also caused a delay in laying down the materials, according to Giles.

The track completion delay caused school administrators to the cancel the fall Welcome Back Rally that was supposed to be held on the first day of school. There was even a possibility that the Spirit Rally would be postponed depending on whether the construction team says the track will be ready by the day of the rally, according to Giles and student activity advisor Anne Guina.

PE classes are affected by the delay as students are unable to run on the track. PE teachers had expected a delay beforehand. “We’re all excited about the new field so we’re willing to make a few concessions,” PE department head Michael Prutz said on Sept. 1. “Nothing ever [happens in] time so we knew that [the delay] was going to happen.” Classes have to make adjustments and share fields for the time being.

The delay has also affected sport teams’ practices, like the football team, which has to hold practices on the soccer field since their first practice of the season in August. This negatively impacted the players’ performances in their first few games because they weren’t able to practice using the usual football field markings, according to the varsity football head coach Danny Chan. “It’s not a good situation but it’s something we just have to deal with,” said Chan. “We’re relying on our varsity ingenuity, it might affect our [freshmen and sophomores] quite a bit but both are getting by”. The team wasn’t able to access the football field until Thursday Sept. 15, after expressing interest in using football field to prepare for the start of their official league games.

Additionally, when school started, the football field bleachers were still painted “2016” for the seniors who graduated last school year. Members of the Lowell Student Association (LSA) 2017 board planned to paint the bleachers during freshman orientation but were not able to because of the construction that was in progress. It was only on Sept. 23 that Giles and Guina arranged the bleachers be painted by the LSA senior board and senior letter.

New TRX area. Photo by Ciara Kosai

The start, finish, and game line markings, which were designed and reviewed by the the track and field head coach Andy Leong, will need to be completed, according to Fung on Aug. 26. As of late September, construction workers are installing the styrene-butadiene rubber, a type of synthetic rubber, around the track, according to Schalchi.

Besides the new track, there are new track and field features such as the shot put, high jump, long jump, and a discus cage. A new batting cage was built to replace the previous damaged one, and the gates used to enter the football field were widened to avoid overcrowding and congestion as students go in and out.

During the track project, the Total Body Resistance Exercise (TRX) suspension training equipment was also relocated. P.E. teacher Terence Doherty contacted and asked Fung to move the TRX, originally located near the entrance of the football field, to the area next to the boy’s locker room, which was occasionally used for parking. The new TRX area includes play structure matting to improve safety and decrease possible injuries.

Besides the new track, there are new track and field features such as the shot put, high jump, long jump, and a discus cage.

Designs for a new track were already completed when the new turf football field was constructed in fall 2011, but the track was postponed to 2016 due to the lack of funds at that time, according to Fung.

Senior Jessica Eng, who was one of the coordinators of the Pizza Run fundraiser that took place March 20 to help cover costs of the new track, expressed both sadness and content. “I was disappointed because [the track] was initially supposed to be ready close to the first week of school,” Eng said. “But I’m really happy that it’s happening and it’s something we should be proud of.”