Tara Jeffrey
Funding for more than $1 million in upgrades to the track facility at Sarnia’s St. Patrick’s High School has been approved, the St. Clair Catholic District School Board announced this week.
“We are pleased to move forward with this track upgrade, which will result in a first-rate facility for our Sarnia-Lambton student athletes, contributing to the health and wellness of our students,” said education director Scott Johnson.
New features to the upgraded track will include: a rubberized running surface including six full lanes and eight lanes on the 100m stretch; long jump and triple jump runway and pit; javelin runway; high jump runway; discus circle and fenced cage; bleacher pad; perimeter fencing and conduits for electrical power boxes.
The work is expected to be completed by spring 2024.A portion of the property planned for construction is owned by the Conseil scolaire catholique Providence (CSC Providence), a news release noted, adding that the board has received written approval from CSC Providence to proceed to tender with the project.
“CSC Providence will share a portion of the cost equivalent to the percentage of enrolment under the terms of a pre-existing agreement between the two boards,” the board added.
“Based on enrolment at October 31, 2022, the CSC Providence share of the project will be seven percent of the total cost. The remainder of the project cost will be funded by St. Clair Catholic’s School Renewal Allocation.”
“This project underscores our commitment to fostering a well-rounded educational experience for our students,” said Carolyn Bastien, Interim Director of Education, Conseil scolaire catholique Providence. “We are appreciative of our longstanding and continued partnership with the St. Clair Catholic District School Board, whose leadership has made this project possible.”Throughout the 2022-2023 school year, a committee of teachers, coaches, principals, board staff and members of the Lambton Catholic Sports Athletic Council conducted with the prime consultant, Cornerstone Architecture and the specialist track consultant, RK & Associates, to determine the proposed design for the upgraded track.