School district moves community event back one week due to rain forecast for this Wednesday.
ORANGE, CA (December 3, 2018) – Orange Unified School District (OUSD) announced this afternoon that the rain forecast for this Wednesday has necessitated the rescheduling of the Fred Kelly Stadium Closing Ceremony and Community Festival to next Wednesday, December 12. The time of the event will remain 4:30 – 8:30 p.m.
The rescheduled event will be open to the public and feature a district-wide academic and performing arts showcase, including student performances and exhibitions, school information booths highlighting their signature programs and student opportunities, plus a parade of champions for OUSD students and alumni who competed at the stadium. The community celebration will also feature a ground-breaking ceremony to kick off construction on the new stadium complex. Gourmet food trucks will be on site for guests who wish to purchase dinner and beverages.
The new Stadium Complex will comply with federal Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) requirements and provide students and the community with safer surfaces and amenities for athletic competition and recreational use. Facility modernization includes: updated track and field surfacing; ADA accessible walkways; new restrooms, team rooms and snack bars for both the home and visitor sides; new shade structures, scoreboard and updated lighting; and aluminum bleachers. The projected cost of $25 million will be financed using a combination of capital projects funding that the district designated for this purpose and has been saving over the past decade, and community facility district developer fees designated for this use. No “Measure S” school bond dollars will be spent on the stadium renovation.
Fred Kelly Stadium has hosted decades of football, track and field, and soccer competitions for the District’s four comprehensive high schools: Canyon, El Modena, Orange, and Villa Park. It has also been a community gathering place as it is situated in the very center of the District’s attendance area and adjacent to El Modena High School. The facility has been the annual host for high school graduation ceremonies, the annual City of Orange 3rd of July celebration, and the Community Foundation of Orange’s Foundation Games, Southern California’s largest - and only - junior track and field qualifying event.
Construction on the new Fred Kelly Stadium complex is expected to last 18 months and is anticipated to be completed in time for the 2020 high school football season.
For more information, visit the District’s website at www.OrangeUSD.org.