Township Awards Extra Funds to Give JFK a New Track

After years of a defunct track at John F. Kennedy Memorial High School, students, staff and the nearby community will be receiving an updated track after a bond ordinance passed at Tuesday evening’s council meeting.

The bond ordinance authorized the undertaking of the track project, a project that Mayor John E. McCormac called “long overdue.”

At the meeting were several Track and Field team members, as well as coaches, the school’s principal, the athletic director and some alumni.

Principal Michael Cilento thanked the mayor and council for their effort in getting the ordinance passed.   He added that about 150 boys and girls participate in the schools Track program and the new track will benefit those students as well as the community.

Sean Daly, JFK’s Athletic Director, said the new track will put less of a toll on the young athletes bodies, something Senior Track member Christian Sylvester said was a problem for the team over the years.

“We lost some state titles because of injuries,” he said. “But we still tried our best to stay division champs.”

Sylvester added that not having a home track destroyed a sense of pride in the team and he is happy to see the long overdue project finally be put in action.

Council Vice President Kyle Anderson commended Sylvester for how eloquently he spoke and for coming out even though the track would not benefit him.

“This is an opportunity not for you, but for your classmates behind you,” he stated.

Brad Atland, Head Coach of the Boys’ Track team, said the school is proud of the product they put out. The turnout of parents, alumni and current students shows how important the track is to the community, he added.

“We are extremely proud,” he stated. “And we will continue to keep on winning.”

Check back with woodbridge.patch.com for more coverage of the May 7 Council Meeting, including the residents still suffering from Super Storm Sandy.