Field improvements up for school board vote

The Newport-Mesa Unified School District has picked out seven athletics improvement projects to build with a $100,000 grant from Costa Mesa.

The money is the first installment of what could add up to half a million dollars in grants from the city in the next five years if Costa Mesa chooses to continue the program as it has projected, according to a resolution the council approved in February.

The money is meant to fund capital improvements at Costa Mesa high schools where the public has access during non-school hours.

Many of the school district’s facilities in Costa Mesa are governed by a joint-use-agreement that guarantees community access in exchange for shared maintenance costs.

Tuesday night, school board members will consider giving final approval to take the money for specific projects at Estancia and Costa Mesa high schools that were requested by each campus’ principal

Mesa would receive $4,000 for seating at baseball and soccer fields, $3,000 for portable soccer goals, $32,000 to replace infield turf on the varsity baseball field and $7,000 to replace fencing on the varsity baseball field.

Estancia would receive $5,000 for varsity baseball field improvements, $15,000 for a roll-up divider in the gym and $30,000 to build a softball batting cage.

The school district will consider what to do with any future donations as Costa Mesa approves them, Deputy Supt. Paul Reed said.

“We consider them to be grants,” he said. “We’re very appreciative of the city doing it, and it’s really on a grant by grant basis.”

Costa Mesa has also proposed to pay $3.5 million to revamp the football field and track at Mesa.