Many local middle schools will be getting badly needed repairs to their outdoor tracks in hopes it will attract a greater use for the surrounding neighborhood.
The Fort Worth School Board has approved a proposal to redo tracks at 17 area middle schools and the project is expected to cost $424,180.
The project is forecasted to be completed by August 2019, given there are no setbacks due to weather.
Each of the tracks were installed in 2008. The current conditions of every track vary at each school, but the current issues range from faded lines to missing surface materials, resulting in inoperable use. The proposed repairs are expected to extend the life of each track about five years.
The project is part of the 2017 bond program, which will provide over $750 million for capital improvements across the district, according to a district news release.
“The accompanying ‘Penny Swap’ election, also approved by voters, will afford the District an additional $23 million annually for life-cycle, maintenance and other items. Both propositions received resounding voter approval at 78 percent and 74 percent, respectively,” as stated in a report released by the Fort Worth ISD.
Texas Sports Builders signed a contract on Dec. 6, 2018 to complete the restoration. According to the proposal, they will remove the existing surface and inspect the asphalt, prime the asphalt, install a black base mat and complete the re-striping of lane lines and numbers where necessary.
“These tracks were built as a result of the 2007 Capital Improvement Program,” Clint Bond, executive director of external and emergency communications for FWISD, wrote in an email. “They are approaching 12 years of use and exposure to the elements. These tracks were installed and expected to be used by not only students at the individual schools but also by members of the surrounding neighborhoods.”
The following middle schools will be affected by the project: William James, Kirkpatrick, Meachem, J.P. Elder, Riverside, Meadowbrook, McClung, Handley, Jacquet, Leonard,
