EDWARDSVILLE - During the work session of the Edwardsville Community Unit School District #7 Board of Education, the Board voted to approve the replacement of the Edwardsville High School track and the installation of a new synthetic turf field at the Winston Brown Track and varsity softball field.
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The Board of Education approved a purchasing cooperative contract pricing bid from Byrne and Jones at $2,329,259. This money will be paid over the next three fiscal years from the District's Operations and Maintenance fund.
The decision came after many high school softball players spoke in favor of the new facilities, as did head softball coach Caty Happe and track coach Chad Lakatos. Several community members also spoke during the public comments portion of the meeting and asked the Board of Education to slow their spending.
During the meeting, Superintendent Dr. Patrick Shelton showed photographs of the existing track and softball field, illustrating the age of the track and the slope of the softball field. Both the track and softball field have drainage issues.
Board member Lynne Sanderson said these issues were “not acceptable.” Kristen Pfund noted that everyone in the community can utilize the track, and the softball players deserve better facilities.
“It’s not just affecting those who run track,” she said. “It’s P.E. It’s all the different sports, band. But it’s also the public. You could go walk the track right after this if you want to…I feel like we have a responsibility.”
Bob Paty voiced his appreciation for the decision to schedule payments over the next three fiscal years. Board President Jill Bertels echoed Paty, noting that there is a need for these replacements.
“There’s no question about the need. It’s just the dollars and the way it’s structured,” she said.
Scott Ahart pointed out that the track team could utilize SIUE’s track until the EHS track is repaired. He suggested repairing the softball field and waiting on the track until a later date.
“I don’t want to get shoehorned into a financial glitch that we’re going to regret later on,” he said. “Again, my priority is always the wellbeing of the kids. But when you’re looking at a $2.2 million project for this and all the other projects that we have going on…we’ve got to start looking at alternatives.”
Ultimately, the decision passed with a 6–1 vote, with Ahart voting no.
The project will be completed during the summer and fall of 2025 and summer of 2026.
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