Editorial: Terra Linda High athletic complex an expression of community support

Congratulations to Terra Linda High School on its new addition.

After more than a year of construction, it has a new gymnasium, a large sports venue, one that can also hold the school’s student body for campus assemblies and one that’s big enough to serve as a community shelter in case of an emergency.

The new $27 million complex is one of the promises made in the voter-approved Measure B, the $216 million capital bond measure that was passed in 2022.

While still retaining the old gym, the new facility provides Terra Linda with a brand-new gymnasium that provides the school with greater flexibility when it comes to scheduling practices and games for both boys and girls sports.

The demand for practice and game times is not what it was in the 1960s when the gym was built. An expansion in sports teams and the important growth of girls prep sports has put pressure on the existing space.

In addition, the new gym meets California Interscholastic Federation standards to play host for regional athletic events.

In the new gym, there are also rooms for weight and cardio training, office space, conference rooms and more parking. New bike paths and student drop-off areas have also been created.

In addition, the facility is designed for energy- and water-efficiency and is ready for future installation of solar and a micro-grid battery system – improvements that will enhance its important role as an emergency shelter.

It’s part of the updating and renovation of the campus that was first opened in 1960.

In addition, the new facility is an attractive and modern change to the campus’ frontage. It is quite an upgrade for the campus that was built to accommodate then-booming suburban neighborhoods of Terra Linda, Marinwood and Lucas Valley.

The new gym has been in use for months, playing host to prep contests, but construction is now fully completed.

Next, the attention will be on replacing the campus’ swimming facility with a modern, energy- and water-efficient complex. Plans for those improvements are scheduled to be approved by the San Rafael City Schools board in June.

The new gym not only provides more room to accommodate practices and games for boys and girls sports, but also it is a reflection of a community’s investment in its public schools and improvements.

Such attractive and modern improvements reflect a community’s confidence in and support for its public schools and their students.

Over the past two decades, San Rafael City Schools, with voters’ support, has been systematically repairing, renovating and modernizing its campuses, most of which are at least built during the Baby Boom era of the 1950s and 1960s and constructed for different times and to different standards.

Terra Linda’s new gym is a significant and visible sign of a new generation’s investment in its public schools.