Periodically I will write, in one form or another, a request for specific athletic facilities in our community. Generally topping my list are facilities to be built at Casa Grande High School that can be used by the entire eastside community. Specifically, there is often a mention for the need for a new gymnasium and a swimming pool.
Recently, another need has been brought to my attention. It isn’t a new need, but one I have overlooked. That is a need for a multiuse room for the wrestling team.
Under Coach Isaac Raya, Casa Grande has developed one of the best wrestling programs in both the North Bay and the Vine Valley Athletic League. Yet, the wrestling team practices in what is, in reality, the school cafeteria where students’ food is prepared and they eat their lunch.
According to one parent advocate, at Casa Grande’s first dual meet of this season, buckets had to be placed on the facility floor to catch water leaking from the roof. I know for a fact there isn’t enough seating capacity to accommodate people who want to attend the increasingly popular spectator event.
Moving wrestling practice and even matches to the Coach Ed Iacopi Gymnasium is just not an option. Already vying for game and playing time are freshman, junior varsity and varsity boys basketball and varsity and junior varsity girls basketball. Casa Grande this year has brought back badminton and the athletes in that co-ed sport are going to need a place to practice and play as their season overlaps with the winter sports.
Wrestling is becoming more and more popular with the younger kids, with a growing Petaluma Wrestling Club gaining more interest from youngsters of elementary school age.
There have been some preliminary talks about forming an alliance between wrestling advocates and school band parents to push for a facility that could be used for both wrestling and band practice and performances could be held.
Rancho Cotate has set the gold standard for an athletic facility. In an ideal world, we could have a similar Taj Mahal - combining gym, practice facilities and performance center.
The problem is, as always, money.
The modernization of the football/soccer/lacrosse fields and tracks at both Casa Grande and Petaluma highs were made possible only because residents in the Petaluma City Schools Districts were willing to pass bond measures, increasing their taxes to pay for not only those facilities, but many other upgrades throughout the school district.
Several attempts have been made to pass recreation bond measures, but what we are talking about is a school bond measure.
Any school project is expensive and complicated. This summer’s project to rebuild the dugouts and make other improvements to the Petaluma High School baseball diamond was done almost entirely with donated materials and labor.
To build a new multi-purpose building suitable for wrestling and other (read that as band and performing arts) activities goest light years beyond that project. It has to be done professionally.
That doesn’t mean it can’t or shouldn’t be done, but proponents are in for a long and strenuous effort.
It would seem to make sense for advocates to join with the school district for a bond measure that would earmark funds for a swimming pool , new gym, wrestling room and performing arts center at Casa Grande, a performing arts center at Petaluma High and upgrades to the sports facilities at both Kenilworth and Petaluma junior high schools.
It would be a big bite to take, but the time to start the planning and the advocating is now when the public still has sympathy for our COVID-impacted students.
(Contact John Jackson at johnie.jackson@arguscourier.com)
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