The Cedar Rapids Community School District is in the process of rebuilding the shot put and discus areas at Kingston Stadium as part of a $284,000 project.

If all goes according to plan, the Cedar Rapids schools will have a state-of-the-art facility with safety nets instead of chain-link backstops. Bleacher seating also is planned, although probably not for 2013.

The area bordered by 8th Avenue and 15th Street SW was used as the temporary home for the school district during the post-flood era from the summer of 2008 through this past spring, but the school district has moved into its new headquarters along Edgewood Road NW and all 35 trailers have been removed from the Kingston grounds.

The shot put and discus areas were moved to a temporary location on a grassy area south of Kingston Stadium for the past three high school track seasons, but now the throwing areas will be returning to their former location.

"It was always the intent to bring it back and restore it to its former use," said Matt Dunbar, who manages Kingston Stadium for the school district.

The school district plans to build two shot put rings and two discus circles on the north side of Kingston, although the exact timing depends on weather and construction schedules. Dunbar hopes the bulk of the project will be finished in time for the 2013 track and field season.

"My hope would be that we have at least one discus circle and shot put ring available to use, if not for the first couple of meets, maybe in later April," he said.

Dunbar has visited other shot put and discus facilities, including the facility at the University of Iowa, for ideas and suggestions. Jefferson High School track coaches Ron Tower and Bill Calloway also have helped with the project.

"If it all turns out the way I hope it does, it will be a first-class throwing area for high school sports. It really will," said Dunbar.

Dunbar said the school district will be fully reimbursed for the $284,000 project through state and FEMA funding as part of the post-flood recovery. "It's a cost to all of us as taxpayers, but it's not a cost to the district and the general fund," he noted.

There will be shot put and discus staging areas in two corners on the land north of the stadium. In between those throwing areas, Dunbar would like to build a soccer warmup area for teams to use while they're waiting their turn to play inside the stadium.

The final trailer was removed from the area in late June. The construction project began shortly after with the removal of a six-inch gravel base that was needed for the trailers. New dirt has been brought to the site to raise the level 8 to 12 inches, after which seeding will begin.

A perimeter fence was installed around the FEMA trailers as a security measure for the school district, and Dunbar said that fence will remain once the new shot put and discus facility is completed. That means there won't be any parking on the grass in that area, except perhaps for a rare unforeseen occasion. Prior to the flood, parking was allowed on the grassy area for football games.

Dunbar said there are plans to include several spots for handicapped parking in the area, but no plans for additional areas for general parking.