The long-awaited installation of a running track at Kingston College (KC) is well under way and principal Dave Myrie is expecting the Regupol synthetic surface to be ready by the end of February.

The groundwork for the track, which is set to cost just over US$400,000, has begun at KC’s Melbourne Campus on Elletson Road.

“So far, so good and I am quite pleased with how things are progressing and we are on target,:” he told the Jamaica Observer yesterday.

“The end of February is realistic unless something comes up. I think we needed something like this long time,” said Myrie.

On Friday, workmen from local contractors Pave-Con Limited from Mandeville were extremely busy as they pushed hard to meet the deadline and to have the surface ready before the prestigious Boys’ and Girls’ Athletics Championships. KC’s major athletics rival Calabar High completed a world-class running track at their Red Hills Road base in January 2016. KC are heavily touted to end Calabar’s five-year reign in the boys’ category.

“Work, at this point in time, is fairly advanced as you can see. They dug up the whole thing already and put marl on it and what they will be doing between now and the weekend is to asphalt it,” said Myrie.

He continued: “However, before they can go any further, the Germans will be coming down to make sure it is pristine, in terms of levels and all. Because once it is asphalted, there will be a problem if they are to dig up back anything. So before the track is put down we have to make sure everything is pristine.

“But also they will bring down somebody from the IAAF to make sure it is at the standard it should be. So all of that will be happening over the next week. The actual surface for the track will be coming down later in January and we mainly cleared off the funds, just a couple outstanding. I am still looking at a completion date at the end of February.”

Surprisingly for some, the colour of the track will be red and not light purple that most of the KC fraternity believed it would be.

“It’s going to be a red track after a few things we grappled with. I looked at the blue and I looked at the purple and have you ever seen purple when it starts to fade out? I actually did some research and spoke with the Germans and asked which is the colour that stands out best, and the red track is the one that stands out best. No matter how many years, it still looks red,” he explained.

The principal also pointed out that it’s a very economical decision, as the school won’t have the kind of money to refurbish the track regularly.

“I want to get what is most durable and will stand up, and all indications are that that’s the best one to go for, the red,” said Myrie.

“It would have looked so nice to have a purple track out there, but we went for what is most practical and most durable,” he reiterated.

“You will notice that the other thing we will be getting is a nice, level pristine football field too. Interesting, it won’t be at the minimum standard football field but a good decent field,” he noted.

“We have already run piping there for a good field so that we can be playing good matches there. And the grass will be good for the training as well, because you can’t be using the track all the time,” he added.

“We will be putting a gym over Melbourne where the multi-purpose building is. Two classrooms upstairs will make a good-size gym with the necessary equipment. A long jump pit and high jump area will also be there,” said Myrie.