On Feb. 13, the Board of Education stated that the Witter Field renovations will be delayed for at least a year.

The renovations on Witter would have displaced all spring sports utilizing the field, as well as graduation in May. However, because the plans were delayed, all spring sports and graduation will proceed on Witter as usual.

The district had a budget set aside specifically for the Witter renovations, Director of Facilities Pete Palmer said.

“The cost of renovating Witter will be covered primarily by State modernization funds, not the Measure H1 bond funds authorized by the Piedmont voters,” Palmer’s colleague Julie Moll said.

Moll said that while the district is eligible to receive the State funds, it may be several years before the funds are actually paid by the State.

The Board of Education decided to delay the renovations until a more clear timeline for the disbursements of the funds is available, Moll said.

“Fees from facility rentals and contributions from the Boosters and the City have been set aside in a separate fund called the Capital Cities Fund, which now has a balance of roughly $400,000,” Moll said.

The district developed plans to relocate Spring athletics and graduation in case it decided to proceed with the Witter renovation this year, Moll said.

“Our practices will continue to be at Witter, thankfully,” Junior and track athlete Jayden Lee said. “It would’ve been way too much time to have to go to a different field every day for practice.”

In addition to spring athletics, the renovations will no longer impact summer practices for sports, as the renovations were going to extend into summer, Moll said.

Graduation was going to take place at Paramount theater if the renovations took place, but the district owes no money to Paramount, Moll said.

“No money was paid and no money is owed for any of the relocation plans,” Moll said.

Although the district decided to delay the renovations, Witter still needs improvement.

According to an email from superintendent Randall Booker, the underground drainage system is deteriorating, and even moderate rain can lead to flooding and temporary field closures.

The synthetic turf and the track were last replaced in 2007, and now need replacement, along with the drainage system, Palmer said.

The renovations will mainly focus on improving the drainage system, Palmer said.

“There will be a sub base that’s compacted with a drain mat underneath it, so water will go through the synthetic turf and the drain mat to channels underneath that run water to perforated pipes around the perimeter,” Palmer said.

According to the email, the district had already solicited bids for these improvements on Witter from contractors, and had already acquired a permit.

“The bid was for roughly $3.4 million, but that bid will expire in a few months,” Moll said.

Moll said that though this fund, combined with the Capital Cities Fund, can cover the turf and track replacement, it will not be able to cover additional costs related to improving underground drainage and accessibility.

Moll said that any extra funds from the STEAM renovations could be used to cover additional costs from Witter.

The current bid for the project will expire in a few months, and the district will solicit new bids from contractors when they decide to begin the Witter renovations, Moll said.

“Construction costs are increasing, so the district anticipates that new bids will be higher,” Moll said.

Additionally, the permit which the district acquired from the state will need to be renewed.

“The permit for the Witter renovations is good for one year, although the district can and will request an extension,” Moll said.