For generations of Grants Pass students, running track didn’t just mean competing against the clock. It meant navigating mud, uneven footing, and fields that turned unusable the moment the rain rolled in. That reality is now on its way out.
Grants Pass School District 7 is moving forward with a long-overdue overhaul of its middle school athletic facilities, bringing modern, all-weather tracks to both North and South Middle Schools for the first time in district history.
The upgrade replaces aging decomposed granite tracks that have limited use, created safety concerns, and forced students to work around conditions instead of focusing on performance. When the weather turned, those surfaces often became unreliable, cutting into physical education time and sidelining opportunities for athletics.
That’s about to change.
Each campus will receive a six-lane, regulation-size track designed for consistent, year-round use. The new surfaces are built to handle Southern Oregon’s wet seasons without breaking down, giving students a dependable place to train, compete, and stay active regardless of conditions.
At North Middle School, the improvements go further. The football field, long impacted by drainage problems, will also be upgraded to address standing water issues that have made it difficult to use after rainfall.
The project isn’t just about replacing what’s worn out. It’s about correcting a gap that has quietly affected students for years. Until now, middle school teams have had to travel to Grants Pass High School for track meets, creating scheduling challenges, adding transportation costs, and pulling students out of class time just to compete.
Bringing those events back to campus changes that equation. It keeps students closer to their schools, reduces disruptions, and gives middle school programs a stronger sense of identity.
The upgrades will also include improved accessibility and expanded space for future spectator seating, signaling that the district is planning for growth rather than simply catching up.
Construction is expected to begin in May, with completion projected for September, positioning the new facilities to be ready for the next school year.
The multi-million dollar investment is being funded through the district’s 2023 debt restructuring plan, which redirected existing resources toward long-term improvements without introducing new financial burdens.
District officials say the impact will extend beyond school hours. The new tracks will be open for community use, giving Grants Pass residents a reliable place to walk, run, and stay active even during the wetter months.
“This is an investment in our students and our community,” said Tommy Blanchard, Operations Manager for Grants Pass School District 7. “These new tracks and field improvements will provide safe spaces for students to learn, compete, and stay active throughout the year.”
For a town that values both athletics and access to the outdoors, the change is more than cosmetic. It removes a long-standing limitation and replaces it with something simple but important: a surface that works when students need it to.
After years of working around the problem, Grants Pass students are finally getting facilities built for how they actually live, train, and compete.
