Witter Field Set to Undergo Renovations

Emma Eisemon, Staff Writer

The Piedmont Unified School District Board of Education plans to renovate Witter Track and Field during the summer and fall of 2023.  

The Witter Field renovation project was originally proposed in 2019 to the PUSD Board of Education, but was postponed to allocate funds for the construction of the new STEAM building and the new Alan Harvey Theater. 

The renovation for the field was budgeted for $3.6 million in 2019. The project included replacing the turf and sub base on the football field. The surrounding track would be reground, reconditioned, and leveled. 

PUSD Facilities’ highest priority is solving the Witter Field drainage issue,” Palmer said. 

This school year, PUSD Facilities’ goal is to officially start the project, which might cost as much as $5.5 million, according to Palmer.  

The softball, hardball, and football scoreboards will be replaced if there is extra money in the budget, Palmer said. 

PUSD Facilities are waiting for spring 2023 sports and graduation to be over before beginning the project, as Witter Field will be closed to all during renovations, according to Palmer. 

“The tentative project start date would be Monday, June 5, 2023,” Palmer said. 

The project will take around five months to complete once it is presented by PUSD Facilities to the Superintendent’s Cabinet and Community Facilities Steering Committee, and is finally approved by the Board of Education.  

According to Palmer, “It is [PUSD] Facilities goal to have the project approved by the board and then contract with the winning general contractor before the winter break begins on December 12, 2022.” 

The renovation will be ongoing during the fall 2023 sports season with a scheduled completion date of Oct. 30, 2023, which will affect football and cross country running, said Palmer. 

Physical education classes will be held only in the gyms. Palmer and Athletic Director Bradly Smet are looking for temporary sports venues. 

A typical turf field needs to be renovated every ten years, according to Palmer. The Witter Field turf is 14 years old.  

For many years, rainstorms have overwhelmed the inadequate drainage system causing pooling of water beneath the turf. When the field floods, pooled water causes the supporting sub board and turf above to bubble and wrinkle. This creates divots across the track and field, rendering them unsafe for use.

In Dec. 2021, Witter Field was closed to repair the most problematic areas of the sub board. Palmer said the labor intensive process involved cutting a square of turf out, peeling back the turf, regrading the sub base, and then bringing the turf back down. 

“It’s challenging to [repair] when soaking wet,” said Palmer. 

Ultimately, 15 sections across the football field were repaired. It took four weeks to complete and cost $50,000. 

The women’s JV soccer team was not able to practice or play home games at Witter Field because of the flooding problem in Dec. 2021, JV soccer player Ava Sauer said. 

She said the girl’s soccer teams had to travel to Alameda Point to play, which was an uneven field that caused many rolled ankles. 

It is the PUSD Facilities goal to have the final approval of the PUSD Board on Dec. 12.