Superintendent Theresa Axford and Chairman of the MCSD School Board John Dick cut the ribbon to celebrate the renovation of Key West High School’s Backyard athletic complex.

KWHS Backyard Ribbon Cutting Ceremony

A ribbon cutting ceremony was held to officially open “the Backyard”, the local name of the new athletic complex on the grounds of Key West High School.  The major upgrade was welcomed  by players, coaches, spectators and the community as a whole.

“The Monroe County School Board continues to be focused on creating playing fields and facilities that are state of the art for our students,” stated Superintendent Theresa Axford.  “I praise them for their commitment to excellence in this work.”

Key West High School and the Monroe County School District used input from many different groups to determine the design for the 6.4 acres of Backyard renovations.  The project cost of $11.3 million was paid for with capital funds from local sales taxes. Led by Harvard Jolly Architecture and Ajax Construction, the project started in the summer of 2020 and was completed in December with teams back in action at the new facility in January of 2021.

The pandemic complicated an already challenging project but the end result is a state-of-the-art facility that will serve the school for years to come. The school district’s Project Manager Doug Pryor said, “This was a true team effort by the school district, Harvard Jolly Architecture, Ajax Construction and the subcontractors from the initial design phase through construction.  Attention to detail and fulfilling the vision was always at the forefront.”

The Backyard project upgraded the outdoor facilities to include synthetic turf on fields used for football, soccer, lacrosse, cheerleading and softball. Natural grass was used on a multi-purpose practice field utilized by the band.  It has an International Amateur Athletic Federation (IAAF) certified track surface with specific areas for high jump, long jump, pole vault, shot put and discus.  LED lighting was installed along with new bleachers, press boxes with high tech sound systems, concessions stands, bathrooms, security fencing, walkways and a marquee entrance.

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