Kenai Central High School has long wanted to build permanent restrooms and concessions facilities for its track and field. In response to limited available funds at the district level, school administrators have decided to try and make the $250,000 project happen on their own.
KCHS Assistant Principal Will Chervenak said Thursday that the project is “long overdue,” and one he inherited when he started working at the high school. Though he does a school walkthrough with the KPBSD planning and operations department each year, the project has stayed on the district’s to-do list.
Chervenak described the school’s vision for the facility in an open letter to the community, which was shared to Facebook on Wednesday — two bathrooms, concessions and storage in one facility. It would replace the port-a-potties that are currently used to accommodate field users and cost more than $6,000 annually in rental costs.
“The Kenai community deserves a facility that they will be proud of when hosting home events,” Chevernak wrote.
Up against the hurdle of funding, Chervenak said he and others tried to “think outside of the box.” The same letter included a call for support in helping fundraise the $250,000 needed for the project.
“Funding being what it is every year, I wanted to see this happen sooner rather than (later),” Chervenak said, adding that he doesn’t attribute the lack of progress to a lack of interest by the school district.
KPBSD Director of Planning and Operation Kevin Lyon said Thursday that the project doesn’t quite have the same urgency as some of the district’s other capital priorities, such as deferred maintenance, which has long been an issue for the district.
He added that the project is costly, and KPBSD works to distribute funds equitably across its 42 schools. It’s not unheard of for schools to crowdsource funding for projects, Lyon said, but it’s usually on a smaller scale.
“It seems like a big lift to me, but I’m not going to (discourage) anyone from trying,” Lyon said.
Chervenak said the school has been quietly raising funds since last year, but waited until an artistic rendering of the building was available to pair with an open call to the community. The image shared by KCHS on social media, created by KCHS Art Teacher John Morton, depicts a red and white brick facility with a concession window to the left of bathroom facilities.
Since the call to action went live, Chervenak said he’s received a lot of positive feedback. Because interest in the creation of permanent facilities has been so long-standing, he was optimistic there’d be enough community support to back up the school’s fundraising efforts.
The post shared by KCHS on Facebook has been shared more than 125 times roughly one day after being published, with many commenters asking how they could contribute. Though no digital donation platform for contributing to the project exists yet, Chervenak said cash and checks are being accepted at the school and people can contact KCHS directly with additional questions.
“I’m really encouraged that it’s gonna get some traction,” Chervenak said Thursday.
It’s estimated that on any given day, more than 200 student-athletes from KCHS and Kenai Middle School can be found using the field. Among other programs, the field hosts KCHS and KMS cross-country, KCHS football, KCHS soccer, KCHS track and field, the KCHS and KMS drumline and marching band, and physical education classes for both schools.
That’s in addition to users not affiliated with the school, such as Pop Warner, the Kenai Peninsula Soccer Club and other community groups, as well as the thousands of spectators who take to the stands.
For now, Chervenak said KCHS is relying on word-of-mouth to help get the word out about fundraising efforts, but that he hopes to build on existing community support for the facility.
“It’s something that we’re all really excited about,” Chervenak said.
More information on the project can be found on the KCHS Facebook page.
Reach reporter Ashlyn O’Hara at ashlyn.ohara@peninsulaclarion.com.
