ALLENTOWN, Pa. — Allentown School Board on Thursday gave the initial OK for millions of dollars worth of upgrades at Dieruff High School’s practice field — a decision student athletes say is long overdue.
School directors authorized the district administration to start planning and designing upgrades for the field, at 820 East Tilghman St.
The preliminary budget for the project is $15 million to $18 million.
“This plan will not solve every challenge Dieruff faces, but it will make a major and meaningful difference ..."Jennifer Ramos, deputy superintendent of Allentown School District
The field, on the site of a former quarry, was deemed unsafe in 2021, and Dieruff athletes have practiced elsewhere since.
The East Side high school’s sports teams have relied on public parks, borrowed fields and even Dieruff’s cafeteria for practice spaces.
With Thursday’s vote, the district has seemingly abandoned a previous plan to work with the city to improve athletic facilities at Andre Reed Park, where the high school’s baseball, softball and soccer teams currently practice.
The public park sits right next to Dieruff on North Irving Street.
During the Thursday school board meeting, officials didn’t publicly acknowledge the district’s previous discussions with the city.
But Deputy Superintendent Jennifer Ramos said the plan to upgrade the Tilghman Street field “represents the most significant progress [ASD] could make within our current constraints.”
“This plan will not solve every challenge Dieruff faces, but it will make a major and meaningful difference in issues that have existed for far too long,” Ramos said.
Proposed upgrades
The land at the Tilghman Street practice field will undergo soil rehabilitation, and upgrades include creation of a full football field and track.
However, the track likely will not meet the length required by PIAA regulations for competition because there doesn't seem to be enough land available at the field site.
The upgrades also will include a new field house with a weight room and restrooms, as well as bleachers that likely will be portable.
The project will take 21 months, and the bidding and construction phase is set to take place in fall 2026.
With the updated field, Dieruff officials said, the school would be able to offer a girls flag football team. Though there’s current interest from students, the district doesn’t have the space for it yet.
That would change with the upgraded Tilghman Street field, officials said.
Students speak out
Also at Thursday’s meeting, Dieruff athletes spoke about the struggles they face currently and what a field of their own would mean to them.
Multiple students said the transportation time to other fields eats up hours they could otherwise spend on training, studying or being with their families.
“This complex will allow us to establish a consistent practice routine without relying on daily transportation to an offsite location,” sophomore football player Bruce Billger said.
Dieruff’s football team currently practices at the district’s Third Street field by American Parkway.
In addition to Andre Reed Park, Dieruff's soccer players also practice at St. Luke’s Metro Field. Dieruff’s cheerleaders train in the school’s cafeteria and hallways.
And the track and field team travels to J. Birney Crum Stadium on the West Side of Allentown.
“Dieruff athletes deserve what every other school already has."Camila Franco, freshman track team member
Camila Franco, a freshman member of the track team, said Dieruff is the only public school in its PIAA district that does not have a track on its campus.
“That reality shapes our season every single day,” she said.
“It’s hard to feel like you're on equal footing when everyone around you has something so basic, so essential right outside their door."
Still, her team succeeds despite being at a disadvantage, she said. But without a field on the East Side, the district isn’t living up to its obligation of equity.
“Dieruff athletes deserve what every other school already has,” she said.
