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Harvest Park and Hart middle schools have new tracks and synthetic turf fields, part of a $20.7 million facilities upgrade aimed at expanding opportunities for physical education and sports.
The improvements were funded by Measure I, the $395 million general bond passed by voters in 2022. Pleasanton Middle School’s athletic facilities received similar improvements last year.
Pleasanton Unified School District leaders, staff and students celebrated the upgrades at a joint ribbon-cutting ceremony at Harvest Park on Sept. 28.
“With the completion of the Harvest Park and Hart projects, all three PUSD middle schools now have exceptional athletic facilities that support physical education, athletics, wellness and year-round activity,” Superintendent Maurice Ghysels said in a statement. “It is exciting to see this districtwide vision become a reality — creating high-quality spaces for our students while also serving as valuable resources for the broader Pleasanton community.”
District officials said the upgrades will also allow for year-round usability and significantly reduce water use.
At Harvest Park, the district spent about $9.7 million to build a new synthetic turf field; a 400-meter all-weather running track; a natural grass area to support certain sports; and an area for track and field events. Improvements were also made to walkways, gates and overall site circulation, and new asphalt was poured. There are also new shade trees, landscape improvements and additional fencing, backstops and service-access infrastructure, according to the district.
“Having these new facilities available to our students changes what is possible throughout the school day,” Harvest Park principal Russell Campisi said in a statement. “Our Patriots now have more opportunities to move, compete, play, connect and build school pride in spaces designed for year-round use.”
The upgrades at Hart Middle School cost about $11 million and included the same track and field improvements made at Harvest Park. The district also built a new hardscape designed to support activities including pickleball, gaga ball and basketball.
“The most rewarding part of completing a project like this is seeing students make the space their own,” Hart principal Gwendolyn DeWees said in a statement. “Our new field, track and activity areas give Hart students wonderful new opportunities for physical education, athletics, recreation and connection, and we are grateful to everyone who helped bring this project to life.”
The projects at both schools took about two years to complete. The district began planning and designing the renovations in 2024, and construction began in January.
Caroline Fields, who retired as Hart Middle School principal last spring and was involved in the design and planning of the upgrades, said she was glad to see the new facilities completed.
“I’m so proud of what these spaces will mean for generations of Huskies — creating new opportunities to be active, connect with one another and build school pride,” she said
Ella Blevins, the Associated Student Body president at Hart Middle School, said she and her peers were enthusiastic about the upgrades.
“Many of my peers that I have spoken to have said the track has made them feel a newfound sense of excitement and interest in these activities,” Blevins said in a statement.
Brielle Bantugan, the Associated Student Body president at Harvest Park Middle School, also said the facilities have been encouraging her peers to be more physically active.
“Personally, I know kids who have come with their friends in their free time to play soccer in this field,” Bantugan said in a statement.
