District Breaks Ground on New DHS Stadium –
As Ms. Daleiden put it in her prepared remarks:
“What started as hope merged with faith and commitment and made possible the spectacular renovation that we’re about to launch.”
For others it seemed it was nice to be a part of building something up rather than tearing it down. To find the funding to make a project work, rather than find reasons to lay people off and cut programs.
And so it was as the backhoe unexpectedly leveled the uprights during the course of the ceremony, it was a day of both destruction and new beginnings.
As Superintendent James Hammond described:
“This is actually the reality I needed, aside from all of the processes that went into place to create this vision and do the necessary things to get the funding put in place, today we stand here really with the real work happening.”
For Board President Daleiden it has been a long struggle and there is a sense that finally the board at least for one day can do the types of things they had gotten elected to do rather than unfortunately things that they have had to do.
“My fellow trustees and I are so very proud of our school district. We struggled along with the rest of the state of California during these very difficult budget times. But sometimes, almost fantastically, there are still ways to make sound investments in education. This project is one of those. Today is an example of what we do best at Davis Joint Unified and the City of Davis – we come together as a community in order to meet the needs of our kids, our future.
For many it was also a day of emotions.
Incoming Student Body President Fatima Sy expressed relief and exuberance.
“It’s about time. I remember when I was in junior high, this stadium was being talked about. When I got to high school, no body thought that this stadium was going to become a reality. Well here we stand today.”
The same was true for Board President Daleiden.
“The ground on which we stand bears the tenacity and skill of our student athletes, the dedication of our teachers and our coaches, the hopes and dreams of our students and ultimately the priceless memories that make here and keep for a lifetime.”
Mike Satre, current President of the Blue and White Foundation expressed similar sentiments:
“This stadium will be place where all students will be part of something, a place where all students are welcome, and all can contribute. A unifying place where kids of all means and different backgrounds can come together in common purpose.”
Ron Brown the owner of the construction company hired to complete the task also spoke. It was Brown’s whose generosity made this project far more affordable. For him this was coming full circle.
“Being a graduate from the 1980 class, I was on the track team, I wasn’t on the football team. I was on the track team and got shin splints out here like everybody else and the injuries. Little I know then that I would have the opportunity to tear it up and bring something new back to our community.”
He said that without the work of Dr. James Hammond and the Blue and White Foundation, that given the financial state of affairs, this would be happening.
“I was lucky enough for the timing on this project, our company every year we choose a community project in the greater Sacramento Region to donate our services. We typically just donate our profit, on this project we donated our profit and our overhead which amounts to be about 5 or 6 percent on this project.”
Choking up, he said, “It’s just really nice to be able to do this.”
For me, it was really nice to be writing for once about new beginnings rather than the usual gloom and doom. Clearly many in this community have come to this project with mixed feelings and that will likely not change. However, this is a facility that will be shared by the community and it comes at a time and in a way that it is extremely affordable. There are many more challenges ahead for all of us in the coming weeks and months. This is a small piece of a much bigger puzzle but one that at least for many had a very happy ending.
To view other photos click on the photo below to enlarge:
—David M. Greenwald reporting
What a great day for every child in Davis!
What an insult to taxpayers!
“What an insult to taxpayers!”
Absolutely! Let’s privatize public education and let General Motors run it!