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FARMVILLE – Closed. That was the notice posted on Monday, April 17, as Prince Edward County Public Schools (PECPS) announced that the outdoor track at the school complex was shut down again. The reason, district officials say, is they need to finish renovations, which were put on hold so races could be held. 

The PECPS track has been undergoing renovations for the past eight months. In the October School Board meeting, Director of Support Services Richard Goode gave an update on the track progress. At that point, the asphalt had been laid with no puddles or anything forming. With the asphalt down, the track was usable even though it was not yet complete. 

At the meeting, Goode reported that the next step in the renovation process was tricky. Before putting the rubber surface on there needed to be a layer put in to go between the rubber and the asphalt. Unfortunately, the weather had to be just right for this layer to set properly. But perfect weather did not exactly happen in October. 

“They can’t put it down if the temperature is not correct,” Goode reported in the meeting. “So now we are in the fall when the temperature has dropped. Now we have to wait and see what the temperature is going to do.” 

In October, Goode warned that it could be March or April before the weather gets warm enough for that final layer to go down. 

Prince Edward County Schools update

With the track’s recent closing, Goode reported that the track is still in good condition and ready to move forward in the renovation process. The track was opened for students to use in the meantime, but now that the weather is warming up, this final layer will be able to be put down soon. 

Since this next step is weather dependent, there is no say in when the track will be reopened. Weather permitting, the work will take place this week to finally finish the track renovation.