While most people in Aurora Public Schools have enjoyed something of a break during the summer, there hasn’t been much time off for Casey Powell.
The APS athletic director is not complaining in the least about his full plate — other than not getting a chance for a vacation with his family — given what he is working on.
Powell’s monumental task is the ongoing monumental facelift of Aurora Public Schools Stadium — the hub of district athletics — located on the campus of Hinkley High School, Aurora’s second-oldest high school.
“When this is all done, it’s going to be unreal,” Powell told the Sentinel on a recent venue visit.
When Powell took over in 2018 for Mike Krueger —who is now the Colorado High School Activities Association Commissioner — Powell got to finish off the construction of a brand new press box at the stadium. Since then, a small video board, new lights and several other touches were added.
A stadium that is shared by Aurora Central, Gateway, Hinkley, Rangeview and Vista PEAK Prep high schools — in addition to Aurora West College Prep, William Smith and some middle school events — suffers significant wear-and-tear from football, soccer, lacrosse and track & field.
Major work was needed and with a combination of funding approved by city voters in a recent bond (which earmarks money for facilitity improvements) and some from the district athletics budget, the extensive project was made possible and work began in the spring.
The turf field that was originally installed in place of grass at the stadium was roughly two decades old and needed an upgrade, while the track surface had been around for quite some time and needed to be replaced. Both were removed during the spring with the land cleared and leveled again to prepare for new surfaces.
The work at the stadium required some shifting in the prep schedules for the spring season, when the facility typically got good use. District girls soccer teams — especially Hinkley — were unable to use the venue for home games and instead made use of fields at the nearby Aurora Sports Park. Boys and girls lacrosse games for the two district programs (both based at Rangeview) played exclusively at their home sites, and there were no home track meets.
But the venue will be open for business in a big way this fall beginning with a grand opening event on Aug. 17 for middle school athletes. The first football game of the fall season is scheduled for Aug. 29 when Hinkley plays host to Englewood, while that will be followed Aug. 30 by a home contest for Rangeview against Eaglecrest.
For those who are regulars at the venue, the most noticeable change will be in terms of scoreboard, where a long-existing basic scoreboard and small digital board located at the south end — which will have a new home at Trailblazer Stadium in Lakewood in an agreement reached between Powell and the Jefferson County School District — have been replaced by a brand new, massive screen on the east side.
The 20-foot-by-30-foot video display will face the stands and make it easier for spectators to track the score and time. The scoreboard is so big — though Powell turned down an overture to buy a bigger one — that it has three levels of catwalks on the back side that can each accommodate 6-foot people. It is comprised of a series of panels that can be detached and replaced individually as needed, allowing for full functioning at all times.
Powell is also looking forward to the new capability of posting video replays on the board, as well as streaming live feeds from the field or stands onto the screen. Small in-game entertainment pieces and advertising that have been regular in game days in the past will also run.
When installed, the turf will include the new Aurora Public Schools logo — which debuted in 2022 — in the center. It will also be put into use for a new sport, as girls flag football (which was recently sanctioned by the CHSAA) will be in play for the upcoming fall season.
Also at Hinkley will be a new athletic director, as Rodney Padilla — who also served as the school’s boys wrestling coach — retired after the last school year.
Powell has other projects on the horizon for the completion around the district. Among them are the tennis courts at Rangeview, which were in a significant state of disrepair and forced the girls tennis team to play exclusively on the road in the spring. They are in the process of being replaced and come with a new set of lights as well.
Courtney Oakes is Aurora Sentinel Sports Editor. Reach him at sports@aurorasentinel.com. Twitter/X: @aurorasports. IG: Sentinel Prep Sports
