Dos Pueblos cut the ribbon on its resurfaced field and track at Scott O’Leary Stadium on Thursday.
The field and track glowed on a bright sunny day.
Principal Bill Woodard said Scott O’Leary, the school’s legendary athletic director and coach who passed away in 2003, would be proud of the upgraded facility.
“I think he’d be proud of the legacy that our coaches are really teachers first,” said Woodard. “We have bigger teams than a lot of high schools do just so we can get more kids playing.”
Athletic Director Dan Feldhaus said the old grass field took a beating with several levels of football, soccer and now lacrosse teams using it throughout the school year
“We have three levels of football here, and they would all play their games on the grass and over the course of the season, in certain spots in the middle of the field, it would just become dirt,” he said.
“If we got any kind of rain, the middle of this field would become a mud pit, and unplayable for our athletes. We were really in a tough spot.”
The cost of the upgrades was $2.5 million. It was paid through fundraising and the passage of a bond measure that provided financing for specific projects at Santa Barbara Unified School District schools.
“What a glorious day this is, let’s just give it a cheer,” said Superintendent Cary Matsuoka. “This project was finally pushed through to completion because of the support of our voters.
“We know that you students, especially the seniors who will graduate on this field in a few months, will make great use of this place.”