A track and field oval has been included in the new sports field design to accommodate George Elliot Secondary and H.S. Grenda Middle School students in Lake Country.
The Central Okanagan Board of Education endorsed a design plan submitted at their board meeting Wednesday comprised of the running track along with a 60-by-100-metre sports field.
To be developed on the former Aspen Grove golf course site purchased by the school district, field development is slated to start in February in order for the fields to be ready for use by this fall, which will then allow construction of H.S. Grenda to start on the current sports fields adjacent to George Elliot Secondary.
RELATED: New middle school commitment for Lake Country confirmed
The running track will be located next to the former golf course clubhouse, providing an opportunity for that facility to provide a convenient storage asset for track equipment and change rooms/washrooms.
It is expected the track will be open for use by the community during non-school use time.
It was initially intended that two sports fields would be developed, but GES officials noted that there are no local track and field training facilities, meaning students must travel to Vernon or Kelowna for training and to compete in events.
RELATED: Lake Country golfers say good-bye to local links
The existing proposal fills about half of the available land, and school district secretary-treasurer/CFO Eileen Sadlowski says discussions with municipal officials will continue about how to make recreational use of the remaining property to benefit both the schools and greater community.
She said it will take some time and further discussion into the future once the initial development phase is completed to determine how the remainder of the former golf course is utilized.
barry.gerding@blackpress.ca
Like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter