Trespasser runs up taxpayer tab by ruining track

Resurfacing will cost thousands of dollars

Somebody’s not-to-be-denied exercise routine is expected to cost Lawrence-area taxpayers about $13,000.

That’s how much school officials expect to pay to repair damages to the Free State High School track.

“We’re in the process of resurfacing the track,” said Tom Bracciano, director of operations and facility planning for the Lawrence school district. “We’d finished putting down about a one-inch layer of polyurethane and we were waiting for it to dry when, apparently, someone jumped the fence, got on the track and ran a mile.”

The culprit’s footprints were found on the inside lane of the east half of the track. The west half was drier and was not damaged.

The damages were discovered Wednesday and are thought to have occurred between Nov. 3 and Wednesday.

“What happened was the polyurethane stuck to the person’s shoes and, in the process, got separated from the layer of asphalt that’s underneath,” said Roger Paschke, grounds supervisor for the school district. “So it has to be replaced.”

Horacio Garcia, front, and Martin Garza put down glue for a new strip of track surface Thursday at Free State High School. The repair work was needed on the brand new track after someone ran laps on it while the surface was still wet.

Workers spent much of Wednesday pulling up a 4-foot-wide strip of polyurethane and preparing the underlying asphalt for resurfacing.

Four signs reading “Track Closed for Renovations. Keep Out,” were posted along the fence surrounding the track. Gates leading to the track were padlocked and tied shut.

School officials, Bracciano said, don’t know if the jogger realized the damage he or she caused.

“Our only assumption at this point is that someone really, really needed the exercise,” he said. “You could see where they got on and got off the track.”

Paschke said he’s fairly certain the runner wears a size 8 shoe.

“I wear a size 8 and (the footprints) fit my shoes exactly,” he said.

School officials have reported the damages to police.

“We’ve hired security to keep an eye the track until it’s fixed and ready to go,” Bracciano said.