New turf complete, track work underway in Berkley Schools during summer break

BERKLEY — With summer break currently ongoing, the Berkley School District has been working on projects at different properties.

The money for the construction comes from a sinking fund that was passed in August 2018. The projects for this summer include the replacement of the turf and track at Hurley Field and the building of a new facility near Norup International School.

According to the district, sinking fund dollars can be used for the construction or repair of school buildings and facilities, acquiring or installing instructional technology and infrastructure, security equipment, and the purchase of real estate. These dollars can’t be used to pay for salaries, benefits or classroom supplies.

Superintendent Scott Francis said the turf for Hurley Field has been completed and the district is excited about it being ready for the fall. As for the track, construction currently is in progress.

“The first layer of the cement work has been laid and we’ll continue to work on that track throughout the summer to be ready for the fall as well,” he said. “The second main project is the construction of our new maintenance building over here by the administrative offices in Norup. And the steel was just started going up yesterday and the anticipated goal is to complete that project in December.”

Francis stated there was a recent assessment of its old turf and track where the district was told both were past their time.

“There were concerns that if it continued, if we continued to have that old turf, that there would be some potential safety issues — which there weren’t — but there was a potential for that. So we decided to upgrade that turf and track for our soccer team, football team and track and field teams,” he said.

The new building, Francis said, will hold maintenance equipment trucks, snow trucks and other machines to maintain and make repairs for all our buildings.

“The building originally was a part of one of our first elementary buildings many years ago,” he said. “The building itself was just past its time. It served its purpose and this maintenance building is a true maintenance building that will support the needs of our maintenance crew to work on projects and to store equipment in a building that’s designed for that purpose.

“The old maintenance building also supported our robotics program, and so it served multiple purposes,” he continued. “This will be nice that this maintenance building will be for our maintenance department with the right equipment.”

Berkley Schools Director of Communications Jessica Stilger stated future sinking fund projects include the renovation of Cana Lutheran Church, which was purchased earlier this year with sinking fund dollars, for the district’s robotics team and adult transition program.

“Projects will begin in spring 2025 and hopefully (will be) completed by August 2025,” she said.