Improvements and updates at the Tracy Area High School can be seen almost everywhere you look — from a new video board in the gym, new doors and branding throughout the school, to new lights at the football field and — finally — at the baseball diamond. And last week, another project got the board’s blessing.
The District No. 2913 School Board last Monday approved a motion to contract with ISG Engineering to design the long jump/triple jump and pole vault areas at the track/football complex at a cost of $22,900. ISG will provide a topographic survey, construction documents, permitting, and plan review and bidding administration.
The track and field areas aren’t the only thing the district is looking at upgrading. Other needs that could be included in a five-year plan include improving the restroom areas and the press box, which has become cramped with various streaming services being implemented during football games.
“The pole vault and long jump runways are not safe anymore,” said school board member and Buildings & Grounds Committee member Jay Fultz. “This is something that has come up a couple different times in the past.”
The project would include moving the pole vault and long jump areas to the open space to the northwest of the football field. That area has historically been used as a practice field for the football team.
“It really makes a lot of sense; we’ve got plenty of room out there,” said Fultz. “Both the runways would fit in really well. It think it’s something that we definitely need to do.”
The goal behind the project is to improve safety for track and field athletes. The move would also give the school an opportunity to host larger events such as a conference meet. Fultz said the current setup doesn’t meet regulation standards.
During a football game, the pole vault pit actually impedes on the home sideline.
“This would make our football field safer, too,” said TAHS Activities Director Bill Tauer. “They go sliding across that cement once in awhile, because the pole vault pits have gotten so much bigger over time. We could get rid of all that and make it all grass.”
Tracy Area Public Schools Supt. Chad Anderson said Long Term Facilities Maintenance dollars can be used for any facility upgrades. In this case, LTFM dollars couldn’t be used for the entire project, so some monies would have to come out of the district’s General Fund.
“Since we’re moving it outside and expanding it, we’d be able to prorate and use some of the LTFM dollars to update the facilities, but we wouldn’t be able to use LTFM for all of it,” Anderson said.
In other business from the Oct. 19 meeting …
• The board accepted the resignation of third-grade teacher Avery Neyens, effective at the end of the current school year.
• K-12 enrollment was recognized at 620, which is up from 609 in October 2025.
• The board approved the following donations: $1,000 from the Tracy Eagles for TAPS Panther Pride; $350 from the PTC for a first-grade field trip to Valley Tree Farms; and $1,388.54 from SWIF for Camp S’More supplies.
• TAHS Principal Mandy Dibble noted there were 19 cell phone violations in the first 29 days of the school year.
• The TAHS band and choir groups will have their fall concert at 7 p.m. on Monday, Nov. 9.
• The Veterans’ Day program will be at 10:30 a.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 11 in the high school gym.
