King County grant helps Highline community replace aging athletic track at Mt. Rainier High
A cinder athletic track that has served Highline School District students and community members since the Eisenhower presidency in the early 1960s has been replaced, thanks in part to a grant from the King County Youth Sport Facility Grant Fund (YSFG).
The new, six-lane all-weather track cost about $165,000 to complete and serves an estimated 2,700 Highline-area youth. Nearly half of the track’s cost – $75,000 – came in the form of the King County YSFG funding.
A variety of sources contributed the remaining funds, including neighboring cities, service organizations and individual citizens, making this a true community driven and supported effort.
“The partnership between King County and the greater Highline community to replace the time-worn track at Mount Rainier High School is a perfect example of how our grant program is supposed to work,” said King County Executive Kurt Triplett. “The grant funding demonstrated our commitment to the Highline community, and they responded by working very hard to provide their share of the funding.”
Both Mount Rainier High School and Pacific Middle School share a campus and will have access to the track. It will be used by both of the school’s track teams, their physical education departments, and members of the Highline Community.
“Promoting activity and recreation is critical to sustaining healthy communities,” said Councilmember Julia Patterson. “The new all-weather track at Mt. Rainier High School encourages healthy living by providing both students and Highline residents with a safe and sufficient facility to walk, run and exercise.”
The new track will be named after Jim Kennett, who coached at Mount Rainier High School from 1969 to 1978. Kennett was recently inducted into the Washington Interscholastic Activities Association’s Hall of Fame.
Administered by the King County Department of Natural Resources and Parks, the YSFG program is funded and sustained through a one-quarter of 1 percent car rental tax. Funds can be used for developing and constructing facilities, but not for maintenance or operations costs.
King County has awarded nearly $10 million in grants since the program's 1993 inception, resulting in over 250 projects of new or renovated youth sports facilities.
Suburban cities and school districts are encouraged to partner with youth sports leagues and community organizations to apply for grants. Grant funds can be used for a variety of projects, including construction or rehabilitation of ball fields, playgrounds and sport courts, among others.
For more information on the Youth Sports Facility Grant Program, contact Butch Lovelace at 206-263-6267, or Butch.Lovelace@kingcounty.gov.
Related information
Youth Sports Facility Grant Fund
King County Parks - Your Big Backyard