View full sizeOrange Schools buildings manager Phil Dickinson stands on the old interurban railway, which he said makes a great alternative to the all-weather track at the high school, soon to be closed for repairs.
PEPPER PIKE Walkers and joggers who use the Orange High School track will need to make an alternate plan for the end of May when district officials close the track for resurfacing.
Phil Dickinson, buildings manager, told the Orange school board last week the project is ready to go out for bids. The exact design elements are still being finalized, but totally replacing the all-weather surface and covering the catch basins are definitely in the plan, he said, along with installing a drain all around the inside edge.
“Then it’s at the end of its useful life,” asked board president Sam Steinhouse.
Dickinson said referees told the district last year they would require it to replace the surface if it could. The district did not schedule any sectional meets or special events to minimize use and risk, he said.
Dickinson said the district re-coated the surface about 10 years ago, but, like a roof repair, you can only have two coats. After that it begins to pucker up, he said. The worst part of the surface right now is on the northern home side, where mud has begun settling in.
Dickinson said new road graders can remove the old surface without damaging the support surface below.
While it’s shut, Dickinson said the school has walking and jogging paths on campus that offer alternate workouts. He recommends parking at the stadium, taking the walkway by the tennis courts, crossing the road at the flashing light and continuing to the pool area, where users could turn right around the school and back to the stadium.
This route will take users through a wooded area where they are walking on top of the old interurban railway, paved over years ago. So users will get a nostalgic trip through local history as well, Dickinson said.
See more Orange Schools news at cleveland.com/pepper-pike, cleveland.com/orange-village, cleveland.com/moreland-hills or cleveland.com/hunting-valley.