If you’ve gone by the Fruitport schools on Pontaluna Road lately, you’ve probably noticed a lot of construction going on back at the football field and tennis courts. Here’s a brief update on the projects the School District has planned for the summer.

In May of last year, voters approved a zero mill increase bond to support upgrades to the Fruitport School District’s facilities. The bond generated $8 million.

This year, starting in March, part of that money is being used to upgrade athletic facilities near Fruitport Highschool. Grass on the football field is being replaced with artificial turf so that the sports teams and band can use the field more often without destroying the turf. The running track and tennis courts are also being upgraded. A new ADA parking lot for the disabled will be built closer to the athletic facilities. Construction of these areas of the school grounds should be finished and the new facilities should be up and running in September.

For the moment though, FCS schools will have to find different places to hold Track and Field, which is a summer sport.

According to Jason Kennedy, FCS Superintendent, “All track and field events have been scheduled to take place at away facilities, meaning that the District will not host any home events. Teams are still able to compete and complete a full track and field season.”

Other sports shouldn’t be too negatively impacted, since construction should be complete early in the fall season. “In the fall, there may be a need to schedule games and competitions at away facilities for the first week or two of the season. The District expects to host home fall athletic events at the newly constructed athletic facilities when school resumes,” Kennedy said.

In April, work began on installation of air conditioning units at the new high school, which should be finished by the end of September.

More construction projects are being planned for next year as well. Once all the construction bids are received, leftover funds will be used to buy new school buses and equipment for the band.

by Kate and Calvin Holtrop: Published in the Fruitport Area News, 2022, May Issue, page 11