By the time Vero Beach High students return from summer vacation, contractors will be putting the finishing touches on the first phase of the Jimmy Graves Sports & Community Complex.

For the first time, track and field meets will be held across the street from the high school, thanks to the new eight-lane Florida High School Athletic Association regulation size track and field event stations. Inside the track is a new regulation soccer field that does double duty as a lacrosse field.

Students are excited because “they’re able to hold home track meets there now, instead of traveling all over the state,” said Bruce Green, the school district’s chief financial officer.  “It’s kind of a big deal for this school and the community.”

“It’s a proud moment for us all,” said Nick Westenberger, director of facilities and support services for the county school district.

This major new athletic facility is an impressive example of how the public and private sectors can partner to accomplish a project neither was able to successfully undertake alone.

Also a first, at least in Indian River County, it will include a 5,000-square-foot, state-of-the-art inclusive playground with ramps, sensory elements and adaptive swings designed to welcome all children, regardless of their abilities, built to Americans with Disabilities Act specifications.

The fields and track will be lit up with the latest LED sports lighting, and a new LED scoreboard will keep athletes and audiences informed. This summer workers with Remnant Construction of Fort Pierce will finish erecting the combination concession stand, locker room, and bathrooms building, bleachers and a press box.

Local attorney Joe Graves bought the 11-acre parcel across the street from the high school in 2017 with a plan to build a youth sports complex in memory of his son Jimmy, who died in a boating accident the year before. After struggling unsuccessfully to raise the needed funding, Graves donated the parcel to the school board with the stipulation that the sports facility planned for the property bear his son’s name.

From design to construction, the total cost of this phase of the complex rings up at $7,648,010. About $4 million was raised through public and private donations, including $1 million from the City of Vero Beach, $1 million from the now-defunct Education Foundation of Indian River County, and another $2 million from other private and corporate donors.

The rest, approximately $3.4 million, is money from the state’s 2024 Special Appropriations funding, said Green.

Potential future additions to the complex include a Student Entrepreneurial Center, a student-run coffee shop, a student art gallery, office space for community partnerships, an amphitheater and concert and event venue, and a walking trail around the site.

The funding for the project is being managed by the Indian River Education Fund, a nonprofit that works with the school district to raise money for its strategic priorities.

The Indian River Education Fund “represents a new, complementary model for community investment in our public schools,” said IREF Executive Director Janet Knupp. “Built in partnership with business and civic leaders, the IREF is designed to bring fresh energy, innovation and private-sector engagement to meet the evolving needs of our students and educators.”

“It’s nice to see this project finally coming together,” said Westenberger. “This track and field represents more than just a place to run and play, it’s a symbol of progress and a shared vision.”