Lynwood Unified to Celebrate Completion of Artificial Turf, Track at Lynwood High

Lynwood, Calif. – As students enjoy their summer break, the Lynwood Unified School District is busy repairing, updating and revitalizing schools under its Measure K facilities bond.

A $2.5 million artificial turf football field and new running track surface were installed at Lynwood High. The new field, which is used by both Lynwood and Firebaugh highs for home football games, will save the District thousands in maintenance costs as well as 40,000 gallons of water a week.

The District is set to host a ribbon cutting for the new field on Sept. 11, when Firebaugh High battles Lynwood High in the traditional Wood Bowl Game at 7 p.m. The entire community is welcome to join the celebration.

Many more projects are underway in preparation of the 2015-16 school year. The District will be completing roofing repairs at Helen Keller and Will Rogers elementary schools and at Lynwood Middle School. Six campuses will have concrete and asphalt repairs and Abbott Elementary, Lindbergh Elementary and Lynwood High schools will install new fencing.

The District will also begin construction of new drop-off zones at Washington and Mark Twain elementary schools in August to improve student safety and efficiency in the mornings and afternoons. The $850,000 project is expected to be completed in November, pending the approval of the Division of the State Architect. Also launching this summer is a project to revitalize the District’s Pathway Independent Studies Campus with the demolition of one of the older buildings to allow for the construction of new classroom buildings.

“Having clean, up-to-date facilities is a vital part of a child’s educational experience,” said Lynwood Unified Superintendent Paul Gothold. “It brings pride to our students, parents, community and staff to see their campuses being upgraded. Safety is also one of the major focuses of our Local Control and Accountability Plan, and these renovations are imperative for the advancement of our schools.”

Lynwood Unified has moved forward with a variety of projects to improve school facilities and learning environments it offers students.

In winter 2013, Lindbergh and Will Rogers elementary schools added new asphalt and improved drainage. Roofing projects at six schools were also completed to prevent leaks and maintain facilities.

Another $6 million in upgrades at 16 campuses, included new exterior paint, gym renovations and locker rooms, roof replacement and asphalt repairs – was completed in summer 2013.

The District’s largest projects — totaling $28 million — were new classroom facilities completed in time for the start of the 2014-15 school year at Washington and Lincoln Elementary schools. In May 2013, construction crews removed 29 portable classrooms at Washington Elementary and replaced them with two, two-story buildings, each featuring eight classrooms. At Lincoln Elementary, 17 portable classrooms were replaced with one, two-story building with 14 classrooms. The Lincoln campus has a new playground and swing set, an automatic maintenance entry gate and a baseball backstop.

Both sites include new parking lots for staff and guests, and the new buildings are equipped with elevators, staff and student restrooms and security cameras.

“It is so exciting to see all these improvements to our District schools,” said Board of Education President Maria Lopez. “Our students deserve the best facilities and with the help of our community, we will continue to renovate and update their learning environments.”

For more information on Measure K, visit www.lynwood.k12.ca.us, or “like” us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/MeasureKUpdates.