Arvada West HS Gets Help From City For Grant To Replace Running Track

ARVADA, CO -- The Wildcats desperately need a place to run free -- and so do community members near Arvada West High School, at Quail Street and 64th Avenue. Supporters of Arvada West, and the JeffCo School District, have asked for the city's help to request money from a special fund of Colorado Lottery proceeds to rebuild and replace a 53-year-old running track.

The city will sponsor and administer a grant application requesting $350,000 from Great Outdoors Colorado to replace a cinder, rock and gravel 440 yard track with an all-weathersynthetic 400 meter post tension community track, according to a proposal to be submitted to the city council Monday.

"The new track will be suitable for use by all high school sports teams, physical education classes, the marching band, local youth groups such as CARA track, AMFA football, RMSL lacrosse, fire fighters, senior members and the general public," said an application to be submitted to the council. "The project will allow students, athletes, and citizens of the greater Arvada community to benefit from a year round facility for physical fitness, recreation and competition."

The total cost of the track will be $490,500, with JeffCo Schools and Arvada-based Friends of the Wildcats Foundation chipping in a match.

Some members of the Arvada West PTSA did not support the track or the Friends of the Wildcats Foundation, which was founded in 2015 with the sole purpose of raising money for the track.

"They would like the money that we are raising for the track to go toward classroom needs instead," said the high school's application. "We have attempted to communicate that the GOCO grant has specific requirements and cannot be applied for their desired improvements."

Even though almost all the school athletic facilities need a facelift, Friends of The Wildcats settled on the track project first, they said. "The track was chosen as the first priority because it is the largest undertaking, the centerpiece of the entire Arvada neighborhood, requires the most funding and has the potential to create excitement and impact the greatest number of community members," the application said. Two Arvada West families have pledged a total of $20,000.

This is the second time around for an application for GOCO grant money for Aurora West. The track proposal didn't make the cut last year when GOCO ran out of funds, the high school said, but they were encouraged to re-apply this year.

GOCO invests a portion of Colorado Lottery proceedsto help preserve and enhance the state's parks, trails, wildlife, rivers and open spaces, according to their website.

"Created by voters in 1992, GOCO has committed more than $917 million in lottery proceeds to more than 4,800 projects in all 64 counties without any tax dollar support," the COGO website says.

Stephen Padilla, Arvada's grants administrator, will help shepherd the grant through the process.

The city's application to GOCO touts the benefits to the community of a public track:

The proposed community track will be a place for community workouts, giving citizens of all socio-economic groups a free location to run, walk and exercise with theirneighbors, staying off of busy roads, fragile grasses and expensive turf fields. Building this community facility and track at AWHS will offer our students, community members and local organizations a place to host community walks and runs and it will provide a facility for Arvada schools and youth to begin the lifelong pursuit of fitness.

Images via Arvada West High School.