Brea Olinda Unified School District (BOUSD) board members and staff assessed the current state of BOHS’s facilities — specifically athletics facilities, the performing arts center (PAC), and campus bathrooms — and discussed options for improvement, at a study session Feb. 5.
While plans are still in development, BOUSD narrowed its focus to several priority projects: the addition of artificial turf and aluminum bleachers to Wildcat Stadium; the replacement of six tennis courts; improved ventilation in the main gym; the repair and expansion of the pool; and an improved path of travel between the main gym and the stadium. Also discussed were repairs to the PAC roof, and the modernization and replacement of aging fixtures in student bathrooms.
These projects will be financed by multiple sources: Measure H — specifically an allocated $11.7 million from the $160 million bond that passed Nov. 5, 2024 — will fund construction of BOHS’s path of travel that connects athletic facilities; Fund 40, a special reserve fund for major facility projects; and the non-profit fund Brea H.O.P.E., which provides financial assistance to BOUSD “for the construction and acquisition of major capital facilities.”
BOUSD’s first priority is reconstructing the path of travel between the main gym and BOHS stadium.
“The [path of travel] isn’t the best for [disaster] drills,” Joey Davis, BOHS principal, said. “[And] we spend an hour every football game in golf carts driving the handicapped, senior citizens, and anyone [in need] back and forth because it can be a little unsafe.”
A new path will replace the current steep decline with a moderate slope from the gym to the stadium, while also adding handicap-accessible pathways to the baseball and softball fields.
The stadium will also be upgraded, including the installation of aluminum bleachers; replacing the current score board with a modern digital scoreboard on the south side of the stadium; resurfacing the track; updating team rooms and restrooms; and replacing the field’s natural grass with artificial turf.
As part of the planning and design process, BOUSD reviewed local high school stadiums, including the facilities at California, Yorba Linda, Fullerton, El Modena, Esperanza, and Villa Park high schools. With many of BOHS’s athletics opponents training and competing on newer fields — Fullerton Union High School’s stadium and field were fully modernized in 2017, while BOHS’s stadium has remained largely unchanged since it’s construction in 1989, for example — the upgrades are good news for coaches.
According to JohnPaul Wilson (‘07), boys’ varsity soccer head coach, the artificial turf will offer more practice opportunities regardless of weather conditions and help BOHS remain competitive compared to schools that already practice and compete on turf fields.
“We will be able to train, no matter the time or weather,” Wilson said. “This can only help our team and get us playing on a surface that almost every other school has.”
BOUSD also aims to replace the tennis courts. The current facilities, built in 1989, have sustained deep cracks and uneven surfaces — up to eight inches across the lower courts — due to their position on a slope.
“[New courts] would help me and my teammates improve, as the courts right now make it impossible to hit the ball if it hits a dead spot,” Joshua Kim (‘28), varsity tennis player, said.
Aquatics will also benefit from the upgrades. BOHS’s current 25-yard pool, which has sustained displacement between deck panels and cracked concrete, will be replaced with a 40-meter pool and repaired pool deck.
According to Gil Rotblum, swim head coach, neighboring high schools El Dorado, Sonora, La Habra, Yorba Linda, Sunny Hills, and Troy have larger, newer facilities. Rotblum hopes that the construction will not only improve the stability of the pool, but with expansion, offer more space for athletes to practice.
“It’s like adding an extra soccer field or baseball diamond,” Rotblum said. “More kids [will] get to play.”
Another area of focus for BOUSD is improving conditions for its indoor athletes. Currently, BOHS’s main gym does not have air conditioning. While “more research” has to be done before HVAC systems can be introduced, according to Davis, BOUSD plans to install large ceiling fans this summer to improve circulation.
“During the season we would always go outside [the gym] or stand by the door to let the breeze in because it was so hot,” Olivia Christensen (‘29), JV volleyball player, said. “With the fans cooling us down next season, hopefully everyone will be focused on playing.”
PAC repairs are also ongoing. After renovations replacing outdated lighting, wiring systems, and carpets completed in January 2026, repairs to the roof to prevent leakage, and full replacement of the carpet and seats have been approved by the district and will be completed this summer, according to Davis.
While BOUSD’s extensive projects — the path of travel, stadium, pool, and tennis courts — are still in preliminary stages of planning, the district has taken the first steps to modernizing BOHS’s 37-year-old facilities.
“I think [BOHS] has such a unique look and feel when you get onto campus,” Davis said. “I think that we can build on some of that and it’ll be really nice.”
