By Erik Pekar, Town Historian
Note: This is the first installment of the Granville Then & Now column.
The ongoing replacement of the Granville High School running track at Sam Eppolito Field has been the topic of many a conversation in the area over the past two months. Since the fence came down on May 4, there has been quite the construction work there.
The ongoing track construction was not the first overhaul of the track, however. The original track built in 1929 was a narrow track built of ground up shale. This track served the high school track teams well over the years, but by the 1970s it was becoming obsolete.
Although there were plans to expand the high school in the late 1960s and early 1970s, between the five plans voted on over six times, all but the first utilized the existing track. The first plan from the first vote in 1968 had the track moved to accommodate the expansion, which had about double the new classrooms from what was built, as well as an indoor swimming pool.
At the April 14, 1975 meeting of the Granville school board, track coach Anton Kastberg appeared before the board, recommending the school district replace the old track with an all-weather track. His estimates from his research were about $38,000. Kastberg noted that it would be used for both practice and regular league track meets, and if Granville built the new track, they could host regional track meets.
Construction started in late April of 1976. The new track was a six-lane, all-weather track. The track would have a synthetic binder coating for a runner surface, which would be easy to clear during the winter months with a snowblower. It was noted that "during the football season 3/4 inch thick plywood sections will protect the track surface from cleats of players"; it is unclear whether this was a plywood layer beneath the coating, or planks of plywood that were placed over the track. The builders were the Wilk Brothers Paving Company of Center Rutland, Vermont.
This track was not voted on by residents; as noted at the budget hearing of June 9, 1976, it was paid for by means of "... a referendum passed early in 1973 [that] authorized additions and improvements to the high school building and site ... track [was] constructed from these funds as part of site improvement."
The new track was completed in time for the start of the 1976-77 school year. The work was finished with a chain link fence built around the track. This fence was the source of a minor uproar during the 1976 season. Granville fans sat on the hill where the concession stand is, while fans of the visiting teams sat in the area level with the field between the track and Church Street. A few of the opposing teams' fans complained about the fence obscuring their view.
This year's school track project was approved last year, as part of the school district's "capital project", When the district's voters went to the polls last May to vote on board members and the budget, the capital project was on the ballot. It had several components, including the maintenance work recently done with the roofs of the district schools. The work on replacing the track did not go without some controversy, however. Some residents balked at a project they felt was not necessary. Others lamented the loss of the "steps" and the rocky part north of the concession stand.
The new track will be wider than the old track. The rocky and hilly area has been leveled and will allow for more space for spectators. When finished, the new track will be an improvement, and a showpiece for the Granville school district.
+++
The Granville Baptist Church has a pastor once more. Jeff Lamphear was installed as pastor on July 8 and held his first service July 12.
St. Mary's Catholic Church, on the other hand, does not have a resident priest as of present. Rev. Father Joseph Arockiasamy was transferred to Cobleskill in March, to serve the parishes of both the St. Vincent de Paul Catholic Church in Cobleskill and the St. Joseph Catholic Church in Worcester. Mass has been held at St. Mary’s for the past month, however, with Rev. Father Robert Powhida. Longtime parishioners and former residents will recall that Fr. Powhida served as priest at St. Mary's from 1989 to 1993.
+++
Middle Granville will be getting a Dollar General after all. The lot at the corner of Route 22 and County Route 23 has been sold, and work began on leveling the property a couple of weeks ago. The lot is now owned by Primax Properties, who will lease the building to Dollar General after it is completed. Representatives of Primax had been a staple at most of the Granville Town Planning Board meetings held from October of 2019 to this May, and they worked with the board to get their plans approved. Primax has already built three stores for Dollar General in Washington County; these are in Argyle, Fort Ann, and Salem.
No comments:
Post a Comment