KINGWOOD, W.Va. — With school and spring sports still suspended because of the COVID-19 pandemic, should things return to normal in the following weeks, Preston High track and field would be in more of a pinch than its Class AAA counterparts in Monongalia County.
Constructed in 2004, Preston’s track is falling apart after living past it’s expected lifespan of 10-12 years. According to Preston track and field coach Paul Martin, a latex resurfacing would foot a $100,000 bill, whereas the more common polyurethane tops around $170,000. During a Preston County Board of Education meeting in late February, Arch Golis of AG Sports Surfaces said that polyurethane would cost about $165,000. He also noted that the BOE could save money if the track is removed locally and if it partnered with local businesses to allow workers to stay in rooms, cutting costs for the firm.
“It’s just worn out. There are places where it’s delaminated from the blacktop and there are holes in it,” Martin said. “Does the track program have enough money to pay for it? That’s a definitive, ‘No.’ We have to pay for a multitude of different things, and up to this previous year we paid for transportation, coaches’ salaries and paid money to some of the middle school programs. That’s since changed a little bit with the levy that passed, and now the county school system will pay for [that]. Unfortunately, we don’t have a season to do that.”
Sixteen years ago, the cost of the track — $200,000 — was independently raised through private donations and grants. Now, a resurfacing would pull money out of the five-year, $22.5 million school excess levy that passed in 2019. Of the $22.5 million, $10 million has been designated to maintenance. One hangup is that the track was not designated as a Year 1 expenditure for the levy monies but, according to Preston Superintendent Steve Wotring, is rather being considered as a Year 2 project. Already, $502,446.18 has been spent on maintenance needs from July to January at county schools.
Water drainage from the parking lot is one of the main causes of the erosion, and Martin cited that because latex is cheap, wheeled vehicles, even strollers, can rip and tear the surface. Board President Jack Keim noted at the February meeting that the drainage issues should be addressed first — something that would pull money out of the same maintenance account funded by the levy.
“When the facility was [built], we as a school district had a financial obligation to keep it up and running,” Martin said. “Either you get it replaced and continue to have events and practice on said surface or you don’t. It’s one of those things where the county will have to prioritize if there are other pending projects out there in dire need.
“I will say the track program has allowed numerous kids from our school to earn hundreds of thousands of dollars to run collegiately, and many of the events we host allow the school system to conduct meets here on-site, so there are savings there in terms of transportation. We take great pride in hosting events and our organizational skills are great. Right now, we’re in a situation where schools are choosing not to come to our facility because it’s run down. I’ll wear my coach hat to make them aware it’s past its lifespan and ask if it would at least be considered to be a project that could be taken a look at in the near future.”
Further, Martin was at the February board meeting and cautioned the members and superintendent then that the current track would likely not be usable. But with the COVID-19 pandemic still in full force in the United States, some states are pulling the plug on spring sports entirely following in the footsteps of the NCAA. In West Virginia, Jefferson County canceled the rest of its academic year, and it’s likely that the WVSSAC, barring a major turn of events, would upgrade the current spring sports suspension to a full-fledged cancelation. It’s in that mindset that Martin, also a cross-country coach at PHS, and some of his athletes are looking ahead to the fall.
“It’s not good practice for our kids to gather together [right now] so kids are having to train on their own,” he said. “I think anytime you have to train on your own versus with your teammates there’s a drop in intensity, and that’s unavoidable at this time. I think it’s more important to stay safe.
“We’re assuming at this juncture that the state meet won’t take place this year, and if it does it will be a very modified version. For a lot of our kids, we’re moving onto next year and looking at what we need to do to get ready for cross-country in the fall. But again, we’re still suggesting workouts for kids on the team in case something dramatic happens from a positive standpoint.”
Because Wotring deemed the track project a possible Year 2 expenditure, should track season resume the construction wouldn’t displace the team. If approved, the project would take place in the fall or after and would displace the Knights soccer teams, but Martin said they could play in Knights Stadium should that occur. No other team would be affected.
