By Travis Smola
Schoolcraft’s Facilities Planning Committee included construction of new tennis courts in the two major options for new school buildings. But the committee also presented three options for the district’s aging athletic facilities.
School board secretary Jennifer Gottschalk made it clear these options were a separate issue from the two options they presented for new elementary and middle school facilities.
The most expensive of the three is a new stadium which comes with an estimated cost of $7 to $7.5 million.
The other two options are for renovating the stadium and adding a new track. The cheapest option at $4-4.5 million would be to renovate and build a new 6-lane track. The other option at $5-5.5 million is to renovate and build a new 8-lane track.
Eight lanes is now a more standard size and would allow the school to get through track events more quickly. An 8-lane track would also allow Schoolcraft the possibility of hosting a regional event, something that can’t be done on a 6-lane track.
One option on the stadium is to simply do nothing with it as far as a new bond issue is concerned. At least one attendee at the meeting wanted the focus to be purely on education. Gottschalk said she feels the same. “We may have to go out and fundraise to fix our track,” she said.