While most of the Salisbury Township School District remains quiet and dark, there is plenty going on in the way of maintenance projects at Salisbury High School.

A major overhaul of the outdoor sports complex officially broke ground April 21. The improvements focus on the track, as well as the stadium field, with a plan of fully replacing both elements over the course of the next several months.

Both areas receiving an update were at the end of their useful life and the new track and field installed will be more modern and efficient systems.

With such rapid advances in technology in recent years, materials and plans used for the original track and field are no longer available. “They just can’t be built like they used to,” Bill Brackett, director of facilities, safety and security for the Salisbury Township School District said. These changes made after such an extended period makes way for facilities that are more contemporary.

The target date for completion on the projects is mid-August, timed to accommodate the start of practices for fall sports such as football and track. The completion date is subject to change as the work is largely dependent on favorable weather conditions.

Brackett explained he does not have an exact number of workers who will contribute to the construction, because each project has a unique set of contractors who specialize in their area of improvement.

Two additional projects are slated to begin in the next couple of weeks. First will be repairs to the roofing system over the gymnasium. The warranty has expired on the current covering; however, since it is still in working order, the assembled team will build on top of the current roofing structure and thereby extend the warranty an additional 15 years.

The second project is the installation of emergency egress doors to the high school cafeteria. The way the flow of students through the common room stands now, people must exit the building by traveling out of the cafeteria and through the hallway to a main set of doors.

In an emergency, direct access to the outside is considered much safer and more efficient, which the egress doors will accommodate.

All four of these projects were deemed necessary and provided for in the recent capital improvements plan completed by D’Huy Engineering in 2018.