School plans to upgrade track

McCOOK, Nebraska -- A new track surface is on-tap for the McCook High School.

Re-surfacing the track is one of several upgrades that the school district is planning, according to McCook Business Manager Rick Haney.

Haney updated the McCook School Board at its regular meeting Monday night and said that bids for re-surfacing the existing track would be presented to the Facilities Committee and that members could address which direction to go.

The project, that will begin next summer, would include skimming off the half-inch rubber surface, leaving the asphalt, then applying a new half-inch of rubber surface.

Haney said on Tuesday that a grant from Nebraska Department Environmental Quality will be pursued, where the rubber from ground-up used tires could be used.

Tracks typically last about 12 years, he said, as the rubber surface is only a half-inch thick. Anything more than that produces a spongy effect, similar to a wrestling mat, Haney said. With the McCook track behind the high school now going on 13 years, wear and tear has left some areas crumbling down to the asphalt underneath the surface.

This has been remedied through the years with patching, he said, but at some point it becomes more cost efficient to re-surface the entire area.

Haney did not want to name an exact price of the project, due to the bid process, but estimated that it would cost between $80,000 to $100,000.

Other projects include a steel building at the old armory for yellow route buses and a multi-bay structure at the armory to house over-the-road buses.

Bids will be taken for these improvements. The improvements will be funded with proceeds from the sale of school district property, including land on West Q, where the district currently keeps buses, that netted $139,000.

The property was listed at $176,000.

Other upgrades include:

* new carpet for the band room, choir room and administration offices at the McCook Senior High. The carpet is at least 25 years old, Haney said. New carpet will be installed over the Christmas break. The project will cost around $29,000.

* kitchen area at Central Elementary: this will include an oven and stove and be large enough that food can be prepared on-site. Currently, lunch is brought in on warming carts from a vehicle. This is a project the school board has been working on for number of years, Haney said and one that the school district has been saving for. There are no preliminary numbers yet for the cost, but architects are now evaluating the area.