New all-weather track at Agoura High finally out of the blocks

JOHN LOESING/The Acorn ON TRACK--Sandy Thomas is one of just many community volunteers who helped bring a new track to Agoura High School. Her son, Chuck, is a senior of the Agoura Chargers' track team.

Jogging over rough terrain is okay for cross-country runners, but the other athletes who compete in track and field need a good clean surface for their events.

No such thing existed for a long time at Agoura High School.

After 32 years of wear and tear, the track at Frank Greminger Stadium had become a woeful maze of potholes, ridges and undulations. When it rained, the track turned into a useless, muddy surface and events often had to be canceled.

Over the years, the track was used not only for school competitions, but the Great Race of Agoura and various club meets.

Last week began a new era for the track with the unveiling of a sparkling new $500,000 all-weather surface. Dedication ceremonies at the facility were greeted with balloons and sunny skies, and included congratulatory speeches by school and community officials.

Adjacent the eight-lane track are new runways for long jump, high jump and pole vault.

To top it off, the 5,330 square yards of new polyurethane finish have been tinged with bright Charger blue to reflect the colors of the school.

"The blue color helps inspire the team," said Chuck Thomas, a senior looking forward to running his first hurdle race on the new surface.

Athletes christened the track with a tri-meet involving Agoura, Oak Park and Calabasas.

Like his coaches, Thomas is ecstatic that the surface is weatherproof.

"If it’s raining that week, we can actually get two to three more days of practice in," Thomas said.

Sandy Thomas, Chuck’s mother, worked on behalf of the new track with Nancee Baldino, a fellow volunteer on the Agoura High Parent/Faculty Club beautification committee.

The two solicited $10,000 in community donations to pay for the colorized surface, but funds for the track itself came from the Measure R school bond. Installation was provided by Southwestern Track of Fresno.

"It took us over 12 years, so it’s kind of exciting," Thomas said. "My son is a senior so it came just in time for him."

Former Agoura Hills mayor Ed Kurtz said the idea for a new track actually began in 1984, sparked by an interest the Los Angeles Summer Olympics.

"Many letters were written and many meetings were attended," Kurtz said. "After my daughter graduated we passed the baton to Nancee Baldino, Sandy Thomas and others. The efforts of a lot of people have come to fruition."

Momentum for the new track gradually died, but as vice president of the Charger Club in 1999, Kurtz helped push the plans back up to speed. The club’s president at the time was Marty Refkin. Another who lobbied hard for the new track was Bill Duley, the former Charger coach.

The project also included the planting of 30 new trees at the north end of the track. Shot put and pole vault facilities were moved to a separate field.

Tim Hoyt, the Las Virgenes Unified School District Measure R construction manager, said taking care of the new track will be a breeze.

"Other than cleaning, there’s nearly no maintenance at all compared to the old decomposed granite track which you had to rake, fill holes and pull weeds," Hoyt said.

Efforts by the Agoura group led to the construction of a similar track at Calabasas High School. All-weather tracks also have been recently installed at Moorpark and Royal high schools, among others.