$12.5M East Grand Rapids Schools' athletic facilities upgrades underway at three locations

By: Deborah Johnson Wood

Some $12.5 million in athletic facilities upgrades are well underway at three East Grand Rapids Public Schools locations. A 15-year bond extension approved by voters in November 2007 is the funding source for the improvements.

At East Grand Rapids High School, changes include:

• Replacing an outdated fitness center that accommodated 35 students with one that accommodates 120.
• A football stadium with new turf, a two-story structure with a new press box, Internet capabilities, locker rooms and restrooms, and a new scoreboard, lights and sound system.
• New track facilities including an electronic timing system, scoreboard and sound system.

Perhaps the biggest changes at the high school are a second gymnasium and a second balcony in the swimming pool area, bringing spectator seating to 900.

"We have six high school basketball teams and a wrestling team," says Scott Robertson, high school athletic director. "For years we had teams practicing at elementary schools at odd times of the night, and if we have a home wrestling match I have to find a place for six teams to practice."

The additional pool seating provides enough space to host state swim championships, something the school couldn't even petition for in the past.

At East Grand Rapids Middle School, Mehney Field now has a new sound system and artificial turf. At Canepa Tennis Center near Lakeside Elementary there is a new concession stand, and new restrooms replace the portable toilets the facility used to have.

"In planning the improvements, we were forward thinking, thinking about the multiplicity of different parts of our venue because we're so limited on space," Robertson says, "and we've been able to accomplish it pretty well."

URS Corporation designed the new facilities. Owen-Ames-Kimball is the general contractor.

The upgrades will be completed in August.

Source: Scott Robertson, East Grand Rapids Public Schools

Photograph by Joshua Tyron -All Rights Reserved

Deborah Johnson Wood is development news editor for Rapid Growth Media. She can be contacted at [email protected].