Grant Elementary Racing the Clock to Raise Money for New Track

A group of parents is racing the clock to bring a new all-weather running track to the school, a project they say is badly needed to help combat growing obesity in children.

Fundraising for a new 250 meter, four-lane all-weather track made from recycled tires began last year, using a $45,000 grant from California Integrated Waste Management Board. Under the requirements of the grant, the track must be completed by next February, meaning bids for the project must happen soon if construction is to start this summer.

“Kids need that physical release and they need to do it in a safe place, whether it’s in the summer time or winter,” said Teresa Tillman, whose two children attend Grant Elementary. “When kids exert themselves, they can better concentrate in class.”

Right now, physical education classes use the perimeter of the playground and the grassy field. But when it rains and the field gets muddy, students are limited to the small black top, which gets crowded, Tillman said.

But the track won't be for students only, giving locals another place to run, Tillman said. Two local nonprofits already use Grant facilities and would also benefit from the covered track. These include Girls on the Run, an afterschool program that combines running with building life skills for girls in 3rd to 6th grades and the Sonoma County YMCA.

A quarter of all kids in the U.S. are obese, according to the Centers for Disease Control, and some 40 percent are considered unfit.

The Grant Elementary PTA has agreed to match donations up to $10,000 and tax deductible donations can be made directly to the school. Grant is also selling personalized bricks that will become a permanent feature of the track. The school is also seeking donations of undersurface materials from construction companies.