Ames High is getting a new, $2.5M track that will be ready for the 2026 season

Editor's Note: This story has been updated to add new information.

Ames High's nearly 25-year-old track is getting a significant upgrade.

The Ames School Board approved roughly $2.7 million worth of stadium renovations, including new LED lights, additional seating, and ADA modifications, during its meeting on Monday, Sept. 23.

Ames Superintendent Scott Grimes said the track is a safety hazard due to dips in the surface. He said needs to be replaced from "the dirt up" to ensure its longevity.

"The track has an underlayer and the track surface, and through time, the bottom deteriorates," Grimes said. "A lot of schools through time will just replace the top, but the top (at Ames High) has been replaced."

The stadium track was redone with an asphalt base and top layer in 2000, which typically has a 20-year life span. The most recent work on the track was done in 2015, and only included a structural top coat.

Other parts of the stadium will also be upgraded while the new track is being built, like increasing bleacher capacity with 300 more seats. Other work includes installing new LED stadium lighting, additional bleacher handrails and guardrails, modifications to make the bleachers ADA-compliant, and replacing the field fencing.

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$2.5 million track to be complete by summer's end

A full-depth asphalt track replacement will cost about $2.5 million while the other stadium enhancements are estimated at $252,800.

The bleacher work will be bid as an alternate package for efficiency and flexibility.

The project will be put out for bid in December, and construction will start in mid-April 2025. Officials expect the track and other renovations to be finished by next August.

Track and Field teams will move to Middle School

Ames High athletic practices will temporarily be held at the Ames Middle School track and other fields while construction takes place.

The 2025 track and field season opens in mid-March. Director of Ames High facilities Rob Addy, said construction won't begin until the Little Cyclones have held all of their 2025 home meets. The Jim Duea Relays are set for April 15 while the final home soccer game is scheduled for May 6, according to Varsity Bound.

Ames High Stadium also hosts the football team in the fall and the boys' and girls' soccer teams in the spring.

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Celia Brocker is a government, crime, political and education reporter for the Ames Tribune. She can be reached at CBrocker@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on Ames Tribune: Ames High is getting a new, $2.5M track that will be ready for the 2026 season