August 15th at 3:45 pm, the rebuilding of the track began with a groundbreaking ceremony. The ceremony was held at Tower Park, right where the future track will be.
The Highlands track and soccer field was torn down earlier this year in order to rebuild. Not only will a new track be built, but a field house is being built right in front of the track to be used by all of Highland’s sports teams, not just the Soccer and Track team.
The ceremony was an hour long, and kicked off with Aaliyah Haretuku (9) singing the national anthem.he band and color guard performed along with her. Afterwards, Mr. Darnell spoke, thanking everyone for coming and officially started the ceremony.
One of the guest speakers was Brian Alessandro, the old track and cross country coach, who described his own experience on the track. “I scored my first JV goal on this field as a soccer player. I ran a lot of races here, scored goals, struggled through track workouts, and formed friendships at this facility like many other Highlands alumni before and after me. I then coached here for a long time helping athletes reach their own goals,” He said, explaining his personal ties to the track that is being remade.
Alessandro went on to describe the many athletes who had competed at the track, ending his speech with a reminder of how this track will improve Highlands athletic performance. “I think this is the type of facility that not only serves our athletic teams, but provides the region with one of the finest facilities in the state of Kentucky, making Fort Thomas a destination for top quality education and sports.”
It’s clear many people are excited by the new track, and, more importantly, the fitness center. Among those new additions, there will be a bigger parking lot added for more parking spaces during track meets and soccer games. The project is estimated to be complete by the summer of 2025, so look forward to then Bluebirds!
