It had been the assumption for many months, but now it has officially been determined that excessive frost depth is what caused the heaving issues at West Central Valley’s new track this winter.

According to a statement from Superintendent Dr. David Arnold, the district’s school board, along with site contractors, architects and Geo-tech experts have come to such a consensus after reviewing the heaps of data collected at the complex in recent months.

Arnold says it was harder to determine the direct cause of the heaving and divoting on the football field because frost and frozen water was already gone at the time of initial inspection.  Ultimately, contractors believe the field’s problems resulted from its drain lines being frozen shut, causing water to flow throughout the surface materials rather than funneling out the drain lines as designed.

In his statement, Arnold says Hellas Corporation, the group that constructed the new turf field, “was instrumental in getting the field back into working condition at no cost to the district.”  The field and the track both now meet state guidelines for use by district athletes.

After consulting with their attorney last week, the School Board has decided to to wait and see how the track and field are impacted by a “normal” Iowa winter in 2014-15 before taking any legal action against complex contractors.  Arnold says the district has taken the necessary steps “to ensure that (the complex’s) recall and warranty rights are protected.”

Dr. Arnold and the West Central Valley School Board anticipate having a full fall football schedule at the complex in just a couple of months.