by Mark McDermott
The Stadium Way project, a $4.6 million upgrade to the area adjacent to the Mira Costa High football stadium, is nearing completion, marking the very end of Measure EE school bond work that began seven years ago.
The project includes a new entrance, modern lighting, accessible pathways and seating, new benches, an upgraded press box, permeable pavers to improve drainage, refreshed paint, and a new merchandise stand and ticket booth.
“It is, in my opinion, a really transformed space,” Deputy Superintendent Dawnalyn Murakawa-Leopard told the MBUSD school board at its Nov. 6 meeting. “I no longer worry about children tripping over the ruts in the road on Stadium Way while they’re enjoying the game and hanging out with each other during games. So we’re really pleased with the way that it turned out, and really thankful to the community for supporting the bonds, to the state for making state bonds available to finish this project, and to the board for supporting the work all the way through.”
Board trustee Jen Fenton emphasized how much safer the area is with the improvements.
“That safety issue — I mean, I brought my parents to Homecoming, and two years ago, I would have been so nervous to walk them from the entrance to the actual bleachers,” she said. “No fear now, because it is just a beautifully smooth infrastructure.”
The Stadium Way project went through a bumpy road to completion. Initially, it didn’t appear there would be enough bond funds to cover the project, and for a while it was conceived of as donor-supported undertaking. It faced a series of delays as district administrators tried to find a way to bring it fruition. After several Measure EE projects came in under budget, and more state matching funds became available, the project finally got underway earlier this year. The school board approved its completion Nov. 6.
MBUSD school board President Cathey Graves commended Murakawa-Leopard and her staff for seeing the project through in its long road to completion.
“I think this also reinforces the importance of the state bond money and getting in line for that, because this project — we wouldn’t have been able to do it without that money,” said Cathey Graves, MBUSD board president. “So thank you for staying on top of that, and thank you to our community for passing those bonds.” ER
