MUSD approves guaranteed budget for sports grounds

When it was announced that Maricopa would be getting a second high school, there was speculation that the school, known as Desert Sunrise High School, would be a “raw” facility, at least initially.

And until the Arizona Legislature provided $18,826,250 million in additional funding to the original $22,461,250 budget allocated by the School Facilities Board Building Grant, that’s exactly what it was going to be. .

But as part of the additional $18.8 million, the Maricopa Unified School District Board of Trustees last Wednesday approved a guaranteed maximum price for the school’s outdoor athletic facilities of $3.7 million. Indoor facilities, including a sports hall with basketball and volleyball courts and two locker rooms for boys and girls, were part of the initial funding.

MUSD Superintendent Dr Tracey Lopeman defined how “pure” the sports facilities would be if the new funding had not been secured.

“We were going to have a grassy play area and that was it,” she said. “We have been very lucky with the timing of the funding and the expertise of our team that we are going to be able to ensure that all of these aspects of the sports facilities are part of the school when it opens in July.”

Lopeman highlighted some of the additions the funding will bring, including a full slate of sports features — most of which weren’t going to be included in the initial funding. The listing includes a competitive football and soccer field including goal posts and soccer goals; baseball and softball competition fields (two each); a rubberized track; field lamps; bleachers; additional football storage space; concession area; and toilets.

The funding will also provide necessities such as training equipment and uniforms, playing uniforms for football, soccer and track and field teams, and other assets such as lawnmowers and other equipment. landscaping.

“None of this was included in the initial funding round,” Lopeman said. “We were able to match our blueprint without having to delay or change the functionality of these features.”

Mark Rafferty, a partner at Facilities Management Group, the Desert Sunrise project manager, said he was happy to see some of the funding going to athletics.

“There are a lot of things to choose from when funding a new high school,” he said. “A lot of it has to do with athletics. And it really has to be if you’re going to be a comprehensive high school.