New OA Running Path Nearly Completed in Easton

Oliver Ames High School athletic director William Matthews said a new running path is nearing completion outside in the school grounds.

“It will be completed for the school year in the next few days, if it’s not done already,” he said.

Matthews said it got this far without town funds through the generosity of a few residents.

“We felt it was a great opportunity to create a nice safe comfortable walking or running path for the community,” Matthews said.

Matthews said there had been an informal path behind the school already, running through some of the new path, but the old path was disconnected and not really a true running path.

“There were some areas behind the softball field and the retention pond that were blocked off,” he said. “Our cross country coach Neil Levine suggested with a little bit of work we could put in a nice formal running path which would be good for our sports programs so as to have something right here on campus.”

Matthews said Levine went around and solicited donations for the project, and he found one major contributor.

Dave Howe, CEO at Evolution Sports and J. Derenzo Construction, has had his construction equipment and a crew here for about a month working on the path.

“He brought in a couple of pieces and equipment and crew and he was there for the better part of a month,” Matthews said. “Now it’s a very nice path. It’s very open and it goes around all of the athletic fields here at OA. He donated all of it, and it’s no cost to the school. He donated all the labor and materials.”

Matthews said the Easton Department of Public Works also pitched in and helped facilitate things for Howe.

“They did tree clearing and things like that,” he said.

Matthews also said the school’s industrial technology teacher Jim Sullivan constructed a bridge near a portion of the retention pond for the path.

“The materials were donated by the Cross Country Booster Club,” he said.