Dear Anderson Valley Unified Community,

Anderson Valley Unified School District received some good news yesterday. It will be good for every student at the school, to every parent/guardian/grandparent, to every community member that wants to improve their health and wellness. It short, it is good for Boonville and provides a level of equity in education for our students in relation to state of the art facilities that they have not had for the past 50 years.

Yesterday, we received a grant for $4.7 million dollars from Caltrans to construct an all weather track and soccer/football field on the Junior/Senior High campus.  I have been with you two and half years and we have worked together to create equity in education harnessing support from our officials and community members that kids deserve to go to school in facilities just as nice and safe as Healdsburg, Ukiah, and Mendocino.  Yesterday was the first step.  We will get this done one track, one gym, one dome, one shop at a time.  I am a person of fierce hope and belief that our kids deserve that.  I sat out on that field two times a day, and said my good wishes for the project to come together for kids.  Nothing changes in this world, unless you collectively believe it can change.   Together, we will get it done.

A tremendous note of thanks to all of the community members who supported the effort and also to Congressman Jared Huffman’s office for their Letter of Support and to Chris Vetrano for supporting the grant writing process.

Here is the grant award description:

Anderson Valley Track to Health and Fitness (AVTHF) will provide beautification, enhancement and expansive community fitness opportunities at the present site of 18200 Mountain View Road in Boonville, California. The project centerpiece is a state-of-the-art, all-weather running track and soccer/football field with a rubberized, artificial running surface for track and field athletics, as well as exercise for the whole community. The new track and field will provide a consistent surface unencumbered by adverse weather conditions. The track will be a venue for safe and equitable sporting events for high poverty youth at Anderson Valley Junior Senior High School, accessible for independent soccer league participation, a location for fitness charity/tournament events, and most importantly a place for all residents to achieve their individual wellness and recreation goals, since there are no gyms or workout facilities within a 20-mile radius. The all-weather track will be available before and after school hours including 100% during weekends and summer months.

You know, I dream, and while this award makes me joyous, I am sad that the Skatepark Award was not funded, which I was certain was a “slam dunk”. I am confident that a local pathway funding source will be found for the skatepark/community park. It just takes one or two donors to make that so… 

We have had lots of hard days in the last two years….Kids without toilets, septic systems dug up, leaky roofs, broken air conditioners, but we have always had the belief that our kids deserve better.  We are one step closer to our kids experiencing BETTER.

With deepest appreciation,

Louise Simson

Superintendent