HALTON is off the starting blocks as work gets under way on the borough council's new athletics track.
The £1.4million facility on the playing fields between Saints Peter and Paul Catholic High School and Wade Deacon High School comprises a six-lane 400m all-weather running track, full facilities for associated field sports, together with changing rooms for club use and grass banking for spectators.
Thousands of youngsters will be able to use the track as it will be available to all schools in the borough and for club and visiting team use.
Halton and Frodsham Athletics Club will be based there.
Cllr Phil Harris, the council's executive board member for sport says: "We promised a running track and it is now being delivered. Not only will it benefit a range of sports and age groups, but it might even help produce an Olympic star in 2012."
The track, which has been designed to Sport England and UK Athletics standards, has a polymeric all-weather surface and is drained through the surface to a network of land drainage beneath the track.
It has two 100m straights, areas for high jump, long jump, triple jump and pole vault and an in-field grassed area for javelin, discus, shot and hammer events. The central infield area is of a size where it can also be used for school or club football.
New changing rooms and equipment store are being provided for club use while the schools will use existing school changing facilities. The changing room has a disabled changing facility and the all access routes are fully accessible.
Wide footpaths from both schools access the track and the existing car parking at the schools will be used for out of school hours visitor use.
The track and field sports areas are floodlit to provided extended use into the evenings. Street lighting is provided to the footpaths. Security of the area is provided by a 2.4m high security fence around the complete perimeter.
Work is due to be completed in December.
