The Anaheim High School Alumni Association is launching a campaign to upgrade the school’s athletic facilities to coincide with the grand opening of a new aquatics center in 2019.
While the new swimming pool and upgrades to gym locker rooms are being funded by the Anaheim Unified School District, monies to cover improvements to the athletic fields, gymnasium and a fitness center need to be raised from other sources.
Plans for the athletic fields include new baseball dugouts, synthetic football and soccer fields, a rubber track, lighting, fencing and bleachers to replace the recently demolished Clayes Stadium.
Upgrades to the 80-year-old gymnasium will include a new HVAC system, bleachers, wall art, league title banners, baffles to improve acoustics, interior and exterior paint.
A new fitness center, which will soon be named after the donor and 1967 graduate Jim Fassel, is in need of a new cooling system, windows and other minor improvements. Fassel donated new flooring and fitness equipment valued at approximately $250,000.
A dedicated core of Anaheim High alumni administrators, teachers, staff and are behind the project, including AHS Principal Robert Saldivar ‘96, athletic directors Lanny Booher ’80 and Al Rodriguez ’94, plus numerous alumni coaches, teachers and staff members. The AHSAA will also be working alongside the 3,000-member student body to help improve the sports facilities.
“Anaheim High embraces its past, but we also want to make sure the Colonist community has access to 21st century facilities,” said Principal Saldivar. “Our athletes need to be able to compete on a level playing field. Schools throughout Orange County are training and playing on synthetic fields, which are becoming the standard.”
Saldivar, who played baseball while attending Anaheim, noted that Anaheim High is located in the heart of the Colony District, and the track, athletic fields and new swimming pool will also benefit local residents.
He added that the athletic complex, particularly the gymnasium, serves as a community evacuation site. “It’s not just a matter of aesthetics. We need to make sure we’re in the best position to serve the Anaheim community.
“Our students will be participating in fundraising at some level, and they are counting on the community and all alumni to pull together and support this effort,” said Saldivar.
Corporate donors are being sought and fund raising projects will be introduced throughout 2018 to raise the needed $5 million price tag. One such fundraiser is the sale of chunks of Clayes Stadium for $20 each.
For additional information, email anaheimalumni@yahoo.com or call AHSAA President Janet Brown – 714-726-4372.
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- Current state of athletic fields. The fields require watering at least four days a week, but the sprinkler system needs repairs and is not operating efficiently.
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- The turns, according to several track and field coaches, are closer to 90 degrees and not well rounded. It takes a good 6 hours to prep the dirt and lines for a home track meet.
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- The grass fields need constant maintenance. A synthetic field would reduce costs.
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- AHS teams are competing against schools that are training and playing on synthetic turn and rubber tracks.
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- Our baseball fields are not level, so when the fields are watered, muddy puddles of water form in both home and visitor dugouts.
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- The athletic fields need to be enclosed and laser-leveled to prevent daily puddles of water.
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- The major issue in the 80-year-old gym is acoustics. Sound issues, such as players not being able to hear their coaches, can be improved with hanging baffles.
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- More than 40 local elementary-age students participated in AHS free Saturday basketball camps that included conditioning drills and competitive games with current coaches and players.
