Improvements to New Hampton High School track facilities are underway.
Cracks developed in the surface of the 17-year-old track inside the football stadium and, in November, the School Board approved repairing it with an estimated price tag of about $200,000. The school district provided about $150,000 of the project through SAVE funds and the refinancing of revenue bonds.
Fundraising efforts by the Chickasaw Outdoor Athletic Complex Project (COACP) were to raise the remaining $50,000, but when the group blew away their goal by raising about $160,000, that opened the door for additional track improvements, including moving the high jump back inside the track, extending the homestretch/staging area of the track, and adding a concrete walkway.
New Hampton Superintendent Jay Jurrens says crews last week were working on the new high jump area in the north end zone of the field. He added that when that work is done, they will move on to the track itself which was expected to happen fairly soon.
