The STEAM Academy at La Presa will get a new multi-use field made out of artificial turf and a track to go around its perimeter, thanks to a unanimous funding vote Wednesday by the San Diego County Board of Supervisors.
The board approved the expenditure of $600,000 of county parks money toward the $1.2 million project that is set to begin construction this summer at the campus at 1001 Leland St. in Spring Valley.
The fourth- through eighth-grade Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics Academy at La Presa is in the La Mesa Spring Valley School District and was formerly known as La Presa Middle School.
"The community of Spring Valley, frankly, has patiently waited for this project for a long time and today marks a very exciting moment," Supervisor Dianne Jacob said. "This project will not only serve the kids at the academy ... it will also serve the community as a whole during after school hours."
Design and construction of the project will be managed by the school district while maintenance and operation costs will be shared between the district and the county.
"All in all, the project contributes to our county goal to live well, as this will keep kids active and out of trouble because if they are out on that field they are busy and they are not getting into trouble and they are exercising," Jacob said. "And it also gives all residents of Spring Valley another opportunity to engage in recreational activities and enrich their health and their quality of life."
