Students in the town of Pajaro are getting new fields. On Nov. 2, Pajaro Valley Unified School District held a groundbreaking at Pajaro Middle School for a $4.5 million project to rebuild the school's athletic fields, the Pajaronian reported. The ceremony included students, local officials and former NFL players. Afterward, flag football players from Pajaro Valley, Watsonville, Aptos and Renaissance high schools took part in a skills clinic.
What's being built
The fields will get new artificial turf and other upgrades and will be used for football, flag football, soccer and physical education. Lookout Santa Cruz reported that the school serves about 385 students.
Who's paying
Most of the money comes from Measure M, the facilities bond voters approved for the district. The project also received a $250,000 grant from a partnership of the 49ers Foundation, the NFL Foundation and the Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC). PVUSD said another $337,852 came from local foundations, businesses and individual donors.
"We know that as we turn dirt, we are building a foundation of health, of joy, and opportunity for our students and for the entire community of Pajaro," Superintendent Heather Contreras said, according to the Pajaronian. She also credited former interim superintendent Murry Schekman with helping get the project going. Sophie Navarro of the 49ers Foundation said the foundation is committed to "safe and equitable spaces for everyone to participate in."