Senior Mary Kirchner prepares to practice for track at Southwest Junior High when another track athlete from one of the six teams that practice there knocks into her and ruins her concentration. In previous years the track team has been practicing with five other teams (Central Junior High, Southwest Junior High, George Junior High, Springdale High School and Shiloh). This is all about to change though, because the school is about to get a track and indoor facility.

“This is the greatest thing to ever happen to us. It allows us to have better workouts,” said Kirchner.

After being open for seven years, the school is about to get an eight lane track on the west end of campus and an indoor facility that could house football, baseball, softball, soccer, wrestling, band, or any other athletic activity. Although the school had to wait to receive this facility, there are reasons why.

“Dr. Jim Rollins and the school board wanted everything to be done when the school was built, but had to build more schools first because of growth in students,” said athletic director Wayne Stehlik.

With the money that was originally for these facilities, Springdale schools have built eight or ten new schools. The money for the track has come from interest-free bonds from the state while the money for the indoor facility has come from school budgets. The interest-free bonds allow the school district to borrow money from the state and pay it back whenever they want without interest.

To be able to get a track and indoor facility they had to receive school board approval. To get approval they had to go to a school meeting and propose the idea. A typical meeting usually starts with Dr. Rollins and the school board making an agenda over the current issues and subjects to discuss. The agenda is published a week before. Then they meet and discuss what is on the agenda. That is when they proposed for the new track and indoor facility. When the news that it was approved was released, it made a lot of people happy.

“I couldn’t sleep the night I heard we were getting a track, I am very excited. I feel like all facilities here at Har-Ber are way overdue,” said track coach Brett Unger

It has yet to be determined who else is going to get to use the new track and indoor facility, but it will be shared.

“This facility is for hundreds of student athletes and to develop the community,” said Stehlik.

Currently, construction workers have laid the dirt work for the facility and it is scheduled to be completed on July 13 according to assistant athletic director Chris Wood.