Rainier track gets ‘much-needed’ makeover

Returning Rainier High School athletes will soon enjoy a fresh track to sink their spikes into.
On May 28, the Rainier School District officially began its resurfacing of the high school track. The upgrade was made possible by money secured from the local capital levy passed in 2024. The entire project is expected to take around two months.

Superintendent Bryon Bahr first announced the project’s start date at least as far back as April 23 during a school district meeting where Bahr explained the different ways schools are funded in Washington state.

Bahr’s presentation came on the heels of public concern about how levy money was being allocated, particularly in the midst of an employee reduction in force that effectively eliminated four positions, though two were completed through attrition, and one was considered a temporary “retire-rehire.”

“You’re going to see capital levy money be used in May,” Bahr said on April 23. “May 28, we start tearing off the old track out here and replacing the track. Now people are saying, well, ‘Why are we replacing the track when you’re saying we’re having to cut people, but yet we’re redoing the track? Why are we doing that when people are losing their jobs?’ Because we can only use the capital levy money for what we said we were going to use it for.”

At a school district meeting on May 21, Bahr again referenced the upcoming track upgrade.

“This is with great gratitude from our community for promises made, promises kept, and this is from the capital levy that they approved, and so we’re going to start resurfacing the track that really needs to be done,” Bahr said.

On May 26, the Rainier School District posted about the project on their Facebook page, thanking the community for “investing in our schools and helping us create safe, high-quality spaces for learning, training, and community pride!”

As part of the Facebook announcement, the school district posted a graphic that explained the differences between capital levies, educational programs and operations (EP&O) levies and bonds.

According to the graphic, and as noted by Bahr in previous school board meetings, capital levies are used exclusively for smaller building projects, repairs and upgrades, technology improvements, and safety enhancements, including: fixing leaky roofs, upgrading computer systems, improving playgrounds and resurfacing tracks and fields.

“We’re committed to keeping our promises — and keeping you updated every step of the way,” Bahr wrote in the graphic, which was also included as part of the school district’s June newsletter.

The district later posted that the “much-needed upgrade will lead to a safer, high-quality track that benefits our students, athletes, and the entire Rainier community for years to come.”

The Rainier High School track and field team won two individual 2B state championships at Zaepfel Stadium in Yakima during the final weekend of May. Janess Blackburn took gold in the discus to cap off her school-record-breaking senior campaign. Josh Meldrum did the same in the long jump.

Acacia Murphy and Ella Marvin took second in the high jump and pole vault, respectively, while Zander Peck was state runner-up in the javelin.

The entire Rainier girls track team was honored as the 2B Girls Academic State Champions on May 30.

Rainier plans to return a number of key contributors heading into the 2025-26 track and field season. Soon-to-be sophomore Alex Salinas took fourth in the 400-meter state final in Yakima. Distance runner Komaire Robles, also an incoming sophomore, took fifth place in the state 3,200-meter race.

According to the school district, the Rainier High School track and field and all associated gates will be locked and closed to the public until construction is completed.