>>>Mugs of Peters and McKnight are in Production
Different strides
Plans by a group of running enthusiasts to help develop a public track on an underutilized portion of Brooks Park behind McKinley Middle Magnet School appear to have hit a snag. BREC, which owns the park, has been meeting with the group, led by Varsity Sports owner Jenni Peters, and is willing to make some property available for the project—but only enough to build a 333-meter track, not a regulation-length 400-meter track. After meeting with BREC officials on Tuesday last week, Varsity Sports posted an update on its Facebook page and asked supporters whether they’d be willing to help raise $200,000 to fund a 333-meter track. Their response was overwhelmingly negative. “It’s not up to me, but I have to ask people to help me raise the money, and people don’t want to spend that much money if it’s not a regulation track,” Peters says. BREC Superintendent Carolyn McKnight has said she supports the idea but wants to keep some of the property open for use as a softball field for McKinley Middle Magnet. She says it was never her understanding that the runners wanted to build a regulation-length track. “When they approached us they were talking about a place to practice, not a place to hold track meets,” McKnight says. McKnight says nothing has been decided and she is still open to talking to the group.
—Stephanie Riegel
