Track and field: Kaneland board unanimously approves replacing high school track

KANELAND – A new era is set to begin on the Kaneland High School track.

After years of hearing concerns from coaches, parents and students, the Kaneland District 302 School Board unanimously voted Monday to replace the school’s track.

Board members agreed on a plan in which a contractor would remove the existing track’s surface and replace both the asphalt and sub-stone base. After completing that, contractors will add the new track surface on top.

The plan is projected to cost about $1.14 million and expected to be finished during the fall. Board members agreed to listen to bids and hope to make a final decision before the board meeting set for May 29.

During the more than 45-minute discussion, board members discussed multiple times how quickly the track could be done and if it could be done correctly. Issues also discussed included drainage and types of gravel.

Board member Aaron McCauley said that after speaking with coaches about the situation there definitely was a sense of urgency to get the project done, especially considering the negligence it has faced.

“We’re only here because of negligence,” McCauley said. “We wouldn’t be here unless a student got hurt and we weren’t faced with a lawsuit. And that’s the problem. We want a sound track.”

Board members agreed in a majority to stop progress on resurfacing the bus parking lot in order to prioritize redoing the track.

The parking lot originally was voted on in 2023, with the board originally agreeing to take some of the funds meant for the track and allocating them toward the parking lot. By holding off on the project, the board hopes to limit the hit on the school’s funds.

“If we could subsidize by putting off other projects such as the parking lot, I’m in full support of that,” board president Addam Gonzales said at the meeting. “To be honest, the track has been put off long enough. It’s time to maybe look at other projects that we could delay in order to take care of this large problem that is right in front of us.”

The track at Peterson Field was constructed in 1976, making it 48 years old. The surface was last redone in 1997, making it 27 years old. According to the American Sports Builder Association, it is recommended that a track be resurfaced every eight to 10 years. The base is meant to be replaced every 30 years.

The issue of the track originally was brought up by former boys track and field coach Eric Baron in 2012. Since then, the situation resurfaced on four occasions (2013, 2016, 2019 and 2023). On each of those occasions, the board did not recommend replacing the track but rather patching the track’s surface, causing it to become misshapen.

On Feb. 29, Kaneland’s track issues escalated to a new height after a student-athlete broke his hand and wrist while doing hurdle drills on the track. Another student was injured in the pole vault pit later in the season.

On March 7, principal James Horn, athletic director David Rohlman and boys track and field coach Andy Drendel came to a consensus that the track was not fit to host competitions, including the Peterson Prep, which had been held at Kaneland for 51 years.

Before the board’s discussion, seven members of the Kaneland community – alumni, parents of track and field athletes and family members of alumni – gave testimonies as to why the track should be redone. Jim Claypool was there for his son, Mark, who graduated from Kaneland in 1977. He talked about how important track and field is in Kaneland and how disappointing it’s been to see the track be put on the backburner for so long.

“Imagine how [former coach Bruce “Pete” Peterson] would feel about this,” Ralph Drendel said. “Here was a man who was bigger than life. The football field is named in his honor and it is framed by a condemned track. How can we allow this to happen?”

An online petition gathered more than 2,300 signatures over a span of two weeks. Karl Moos, whose son, Alex, runs for the track team, said the amount was equal to over half of the people enrolled in the district, which shows what members of the community truly want.

“We all recognize that the people on the board didn’t create this problem. You inherited it,” Moos said. “The difference here is that when we inherit problems, we don’t always have the authority to change it. You have the chance to correct the problems created by previous board members.”

Drendel, who couldn’t be at the meeting because the boys track and field team was competing in a meet against Plainfield North and West Aurora, was being updated on the meeting throughout the night by both his mother and father. He said hearing about the number of community members coming forward made him proud of the community.

“Our saying back when I was a kid going through Kaneland, and even before that, was Kaneland pride never dies,” Drendel said. “And I see a lot of alumni and parents, even some current athletes, showing what that Kaneland pride entails.”

Drendel said his athletes were keeping track via the livestream on their way back from the meet. After the vote was read, the athletes couldn’t help but be excited.

“It’s exciting to know that there’s finally a light at the end of the tunnel,” Drendel said. “I think tomorrow the sun’s going to shine a little brighter on the track teams.”