Fort Hall Elementary breaks ground on new 200-meter running track
Part of the new track construction at Fort Hall Elementary.
By YVONNE WARJACK
Sho-Ban News
FORT HALL — A project years in the making is taking shape at Fort Hall Elementary School, where construction has begun on a new 200-meter track designed to serve students, families and the surrounding community.
Fort Hall Elementary Principal Debbie Steele said plans for the track have developed over several years, beginning before her arrival at the school and continuing through conversations with students, parents and families. “I started working on it seven years ago when I came, but I know that it was also a vision of Kathy Malm, who was the principal before I came,” Steele said.
One of the original purposes of the track was to provide fifth-grade students with a place to practice before participating in the sixth-grade district track meet each spring. Without a track at the elementary school, students previously did not have the opportunity to practice on one before attending the meet. As planning continued, however, the project expanded into a space intended for the entire community.
The finished track will measure 200 meters, a standard elementary-school distance, and include five lanes, allowing five students to run alongside one another. Instead of a softer track surface, the track will be paved with asphalt so it can accommodate additional activities. Steele said families will be able to use the track for walking, bicycles, scooters, skateboards and strollers. Gates surrounding the area can be closed to create an enclosed space for students and community members.
View of the new running track at Fort Hall Elementary.
Students have also played a role in envisioning the project. Several years ago, students created drawings showing what they wanted the area to include. Their ideas included bleachers on both sides of the track where families could sit and watch activities. Plans for the area extend beyond athletics.
Future additions may include educational signs featuring information about Shoshone-Bannock culture, along with native plants and signs explaining their traditional purposes and uses. The school also hopes to eventually develop community gardens and an orchard. Those additions could provide opportunities for children to learn about gardening, harvesting fruits and vegetables, and how harvested foods can be used.
Funding for the project has included support from Marathon Petroleum, which has pipelines running underground in the area. Steele said the company has been a major contributor to the project. Although the idea has been developing for years, construction planning moved forward quickly after an engineer became involved in June. The project received approval through the Tribal Council and moved into the construction phase in September. Ground was broken during the first week of September.
Construction crews are using GPS technology to establish the track’s depth, height and width and are preparing a three-dimensional layout to ensure its measurements are accurate and consistent throughout the five lanes. The current construction timeline calls for the track to be completed by October 1, 2026.
Once the initial track is finished, the school plans to continue developing the surrounding area in stages as additional funding becomes available. Fort Hall Elementary also plans to hold a ribbon-cutting ceremony following completion of the project. The school’s new student council is expected to participate, with community and school district leaders also invited to attend.
The ceremony will mark the completion of the first stage of a project shaped over several years through student drawings, family input, school planning, community participation and financial support. From its beginning as a place for fifth graders to prepare for a track meet, the project has grown into plans for a multipurpose space where students and families can run, walk, ride, gather and participate in future educational and community activities.
