SBCC announces complete La Playa Stadium closure for summer months

Thanks to the Measure V bond funding, Santa Barbara City College will begin needed renovation to the college’s track and field at La Playa Stadium. The work will involve removal of the existing synthetic track and field, which has become worn and damaged with years of wear, and replacement with the newest available synthetic surfaces.

Due to the extensive nature of the project, La Playa Stadium will be completely closed for both the college and community use from Monday, May 17 to Tuesday, August 31, 2010 and from Monday, December 20, 2010 to Monday, January 31, 2011. When the facility reopens in August, after the first short-term closure, both the track and field will be in useable condition. The field will have been replaced with new turf (permitted use only), and the track will be asphalt with painted lane lines until the new track surface is placed beginning in December with the second short-term closure. The entire project is scheduled to be completed in January 2011.

Initially installed in 1986, La Playa Stadium’s track surface has not been replaced in the interim 24 years, and the constant wear has become a safety issue, according to SBCC officials. The synthetic field surface was installed in 2002 and its extensive use has resulted in an unsatisfactory playing surface.

“La Playa Stadium is a central point for so many activities,” said Ellen O’Connor, SBCC Interim Athletic Director.

SBCC offers both credit and non-credit classes on the track and field from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. four days per week. Officials have calculated at least 33,600 student hours of use in just class hours over two semesters annually, not counting athletic competition, summer sessions, and community use.

The annual Easter Relays are held at La Playa each year, along with a number of other special community events. The field is used in the fall by a local high school for its home football games, and hundreds of local Santa Barbara area residents use the track and stadium steps daily for their own personal fitness.

“We take great pride in being an excellent community partner,” said SBCC Superintendent/President Dr. Andreea Serban. “While we are certainly aware of the inconvenience that the short-term closures will cause, the replacement of the track and field surfaces will benefit the college and the community tremendously once it’s completed early next year.”

Funding for the project, which is estimated to cost between $1.5 to $2 million, is made possible through Measure V, a facility bond passed in June 2008 by voters in the Santa Barbara Community College District to make needed infrastructure and facility repairs and upgrades at the college. By law, Measure V dollars cannot be used for college operational expenditures or salaries.

“The passage of Measure V was a huge vote of support for the college by the community,” added Dr. Serban, “We are grateful that local residents are so invested in us, and we take that responsibility seriously. Upgrades to our track and field are a critical need that bond dollars will allow us to take care of.”

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SBCC Construction Project: La Playa Stadium Track and Field Surface Replacement