Pajaro Valley gets start on $150 million in school bond projects

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Cesar Chavez Middle School students run relays on their new track Tuesday. (Dan Coyro/Sentinel)

WATSONVILLE -- For the first time since Cesar Chavez Middle School opened seven years ago, students are running laps on a track.

The new course is one of several school bond projects completed by the Pajaro Valley Unified School District during the winter break. Voters approved the $150 million bond measure in November 2012.

Students gave the $100,000 track -- $80,000 of which was covered by bond and $20,000 from funds donated from proceeds of the annual Wharf to Wharf race -- a thumbs up.

"It helps you go faster," said Dafny Lopez, a 12-year-old seventh-grader, after racing on the track for the first time during gym class Tuesday.

Coach Kathy Church has been pushing for a school track for several years. Running isn't only popular with gym classes but also with the dozens of students who participate in cross country and track, she said. The two sports provide a place where everyone is welcome and able to improve performance regardless of athletic ability.

Though the track is a bit shorter than the regulation 400 meters due to space constraints, it's an improvement, Church said. Students previously ran on a grassy athletic field pocked with gopher holes. In the mornings, when dew sat on the ground, the field was slippery. At best, students would finish the workout with sopping socks. At worst, conditions posed a safety risk.

"It's been a long wait, but finally it's done," Church said.

The district also completed other pressing projects, including:

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Pajaro Valley gets start on $150 million in school bond projects