Making Tracks
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New red track at Henley High School should be done by mid-August
Henley High School Principal Jack Lee examines deer prints in the new track at Henley High School. Ian Luper of Beynon Sports is removing them.
A new track at Henley High School is nearly complete. Red rubber coating went down late last week, and contractors say it should be ready for striping this week.
The track should be ready by mid-August when sports practices officially start, said Tom Loney, Henley athletic director.
It has been 17 years since the track was replaced, and it was definitely time for a new one, he said.
“It was in pretty bad shape. A lot cracks, uneven surfaces. When a kid steps on a track, they’re expecting a soft surface where spikes can dig in,” Loney said. “There were a few spots on the runways that were down to the asphalt.”
Last Thursday, crews from Beynon Sports of Tualatin, Ore., spent a portion of the day cutting out deer prints from the newly sprayed track. Those spots will have to be refilled and then finished with black and red spray coating. The week before, it was dog prints.
“They had the first layer done and someone came out and walked their dog,” said Steve Johnson, Klamath County School District’s athletic director. “We need people to stay off the track until at least mid-August.”
The old Henley track was black; the new one will be red. It has an asphalt base, a half-inch thick black base mat – made from recycled tires mixed with a urethane binder -- and two layers of red rubber granules. Rocky Mountain Construction took out old track, and resurfaced the area. Beynon Sports is laying the track surface.
Henley’s track is the fifth county high school track to get either updated or totally redone in the last four years. In 2015, tracks at Mazama High School and Lost River Junior-Senior High were updated and repaired. The following summer, the district redid the track at Bonanza Junior-Senior High School and last summer, Gilchrist Junior-Senior High School’s track was replaced.
“At this point, all the high school tracks have been updated except Chiloquin,” Johnson said. “We are approaching the end of our track upgrades, and are evaluating what Chiloquin might need to get their track in good condition.”
Press release and photos provided from Marcia Schlottman, Public Relations, Klamath County School District.