Just a few years after Villa Park High School rebuilt its athletic facilities with synthetic turf and an all-weather track, another major renovation is underway at the school’s football field and running track.
The new project is a whole lot more than just putting in new artificial turf. The project is referred to in documents from the Orange Unified School District as the Villa Park High School Synthetic Turf Field and Drainage System Replacement and Track Improvement Project. The project will replace the athletic field, improve the running track and install new drainage infrastructure.
The work has a complicated history at the Villa Park High School field that includes soil, grading and drainage problems that were encountered during the previous renovation.
What Is Being Renovated at Villa Park High School?
OUSD put out a bid for major work to the school’s athletic field and running track, called High School Field Renovation 2026.
The project involves demolition and reconstruction of parts of athletic facilities, replacement of synthetic turf, upgrades to the running track and installation of a new drainage system.
The drainage work is considerable. Project documents include storm drain piping, catch basins, manholes, cleanouts, a slot drain, and other drainage improvements. Microtunneling for a 16-inch storm-drain line and related irrigation, electrical and site work also are in the planning stages.
OUSD’s original estimate for the project was more than $8 million and a construction timeline of about 240 consecutive calendar days.
duration of approximately 240 consecutive calendar days.
Why Is Villa Park High School’s Football Field Being Renovated Again?
That’s a fair question, given the fact the football field and track were renovated just a few years ago.
The 2018-19 project included replacing the natural grass athletic field with synthetic turf, installing an all weather rubberized running track, fencing, ADA upgrades and other improvements.
At the time, OUSD said the synthetic turf would provide a more consistent athletic surface, require less maintenance and water use, and allow the school to hold more activities on campus.
But the project ran into serious difficulty.
After a very wet period the soil under parts of the new field was waterlogged. OUSD records show that undulations and variations in the field grade developed that were perceived as a potential injury risk.
The situation became so serious that the OUSD Board of Education approved emergency corrective work in 2019.
Crews had to tear up parts of the recently completed athletic facility to investigate and repair problems underneath before reconstructing the surface. Other work included drainage improvements.
The discovery of buried asbestos containing material during excavation associated with ADA improvements further complicated construction.
Is the 2026 Project Just Normal Artificial Turf Replacement?
Synthetic athletic turf doesn’t last forever and the current surface at Villa Park High School has been around for a number of years now.
But OUSD’s own description of this current project makes clear that it is not just a routine turf replacement.
The district formally refers to it as the Synthetic Turf Field and Drainage System Replacement and Track Improvement Project.
The construction plans also call for extensive drainage work, including new underground storm-drain infrastructure.
Drainage is an important element to understand why the district is undertaking another major project at the field, given the documented soil, grading and drainage issues experienced during the last renovation.
The OUSD documents reviewed for this article don’t characterize the 2026 renovation as simply a replacement of the artificial turf that has reached the end of its normal lifespan.
What Happened During the Previous Villa Park High School Field Renovation?
‘The first project was to bring the outdoor athletic facilities at the school into the modern age,’ he said.
OUSD approved synthetic turf, a rubberized all-weather track and related improvements. At the time, the district specifically noted that the athletic improvements were being funded from capital project reserves and not Measure S bond funds.
Measure S is the $288 million school bond approved by Orange Unified voters in 2016 and focuses primarily on major improvements to the district’s comprehensive high schools.
The Villa Park athletic project ran into problems after construction began.
2019: OUSD had uneven patches of the new field due to the underlying soil conditions. The Board approved emergency work that allowed sections of the field to be taken out and rebuilt.
The district’s records from that time indicate saturated soil and a bumpy playing surface, although the Board altered language in one proposed resolution about how the cause of the underlying condition was described.
The important thing to note is that problems below the playing surface were found and corrective construction was needed shortly after the original renovation.
When Will the Villa Park High School Football Field and Track Reopen?
OUSD’s bid documents show about 240 calendar days for construction.
General indication of expected construction period District approved separate inspection services for project July 31, 2026 March 27, 2027
Commercial construction tracking services have indicated construction will begin sometime around September 2026, but the school’s actual field closure, construction milestones and reopening date should be confirmed directly with OUSD or Villa Park High School as work progresses.
According to district documents now available, the project extends into the 2026-27 school year.
Where Will Villa Park High School Football Games Be Played?
The field renovation at Villa Park High School has not changed much at all where the varsity and JV football teams play their games. Those teams already played their home games at Fred Kelly Stadium in Orange.
The biggest impact is on freshman football, which usually plays at Villa Park High School. With the Villa Park High School football field unavailable during construction, freshman games have been moved to a temporary field adjacent to the field being renovated.
The construction also impacts practices and other sports and activities that regularly use the school’s field and track. While the project is underway families should check current Villa Park High School athletic schedules for locations.
Other Construction Projects at Villa Park High School
But Villa Park High School isn’t the only place getting a facelift – the football field and track are also getting an upgrade.
OUSD has also advanced on a tennis court fencing project. J & A Fence was awarded bid 2526-963 for about $432,000. The project includes new perimeter fencing and gates with associated concrete, asphalt and accessibility work.
OUSD’s construction pipeline now includes a separate exterior painting project for five buildings on the Villa Park High School campus.
The projects add up to a substantial amount of facilities work occurring at the school in 2026.
How Much Will the Villa Park High School Field Renovation Cost?
The field renovation was estimated to exceed $8 million in OUSD’s original bid documents.
A commercial construction database later reported a project value at the award stage of about $4.5 million, but that should not be taken as the project’s final total cost without confirmation from OUSD’s executed construction contract and related project costs.
The overall project may also include costs other than those covered by the main construction contract, such as design, engineering, geotechnical work, inspections and other professional services.
Is Measure S Paying for the New Field and Track?
The funding difference is significant.
OUSD specifically said the previous Villa Park High School athletic field and track renovation was paid for from capital project reserves and was not a Measure S project.
To date, the explicit funding statement for the current 2026 field and drainage project has not been found among district documents reviewed. Before we can say this new renovation is a Measure S project, or not a Measure S project, we need to confirm the funding source for the current project.
Why the Drainage Work Matters
The most obvious changes above ground will be the new synthetic playing surface and improvements to the running track.
Some of the most consequential work may be happening underground.
The history of the last renovation illustrates that even a new athletic field can be affected by drainage and subsurface conditions. That OUSD is putting in extensive new drainage infrastructure as part of the current project shows that the district is dealing with more than just the visible playing surface.
When done, the project will provide Villa Park High School with another upgraded football and athletic field, an improved running track and a new drainage system to support the facilities below.
VillaHelp.com will update this article with more information as it becomes available on construction progress, final project cost and when Villa Park High School football field and track are expected to reopen.