• Additional turf field, track resurfacing and updated bleachers all under construction.

Sometimes a casual drive past the football field and track oval during the summer reveals a quiet or even sleepy day during the summer. Not this year. There are no fewer than three major projects currently underway which will change the look of the facility for the next two decades.

An additional turf field is being installed where there had been a grass field adjoining the bleachers which came over from the old SVHS location in 1998. The grass on the west side of those bleachers was formed into a practice field which included soccer starting in 2006. This past spring, Star Valley was the host site of the 4A West Regional soccer tournament but due to safety concerns on that grass field, it was not used and the opening day of the tournament had some matches played in Jackson as well as Afton. This was part of the discussion to move up the installation timeline of an additional field which was originally scheduled for three years from now. The district was able to move forward with the project early due to prudent financial decisions and setting aside funds beforehand.

“The school board was gracious enough to approve the new field, the bleachers and the resurfacing of the track this summer,” stated LCSD No. 2 Superintendent Matt Erickson in his most recent interview during the Weekday Wake-up radio program. “We have a lot of projects going on and so many of our staff are year-round. Many of them are working hard and Warren Hicks and his guys are executing things to make sure we are ready to roll on August 26.”

With the new reclassification structure in place starting for the 2024-25 school year, Star Valley will be the 11th largest school in the state with an average daily membership (ADM) of 919. Of the 15 4A schools, SVHS will be the last school to have an additional turf field.

Another big addition to the facilities that will be noticed by fans this fall will be new bleachers which came over from the old high school located on 4th Avenue in 1998. Those bleachers were not new at the time and were roughly 35 years old. The new bleachers will be a bit bigger and include more modern safety features such as non-slip material and handrails.

“The bleachers will be a bit longer,” Erickson added. It was time to upgrade and make them safer.”

The track oval as well as the jumping areas on the north and south sides are being resurfaced. The track was installed at the high school in 2008. Prior to that, track athletes utilized the middle school oval and before that, ran on dirt at the old Lincoln County fairgrounds in Afton next to where Star Valley Health now stands.

“We appreciate coach Draney and coach Young for being patient with us as we cause some upheaval in their lives,” Erickson concluded. “But these improvements will benefit our students and our fans and will be great for kids.”

ALL PHOTOS COURTESY OF KYLE WEBER –