Save the West Valley College Running Track
The Issue
UPDATE : WVC TRACK DEMO to START SOON! FENCE IS UP! Sign Below!
Preserve an important piece of history in Saratoga
Community colleges should be Open To All
Please provide your email address to receive valuable updates. Bullbozers have arrived but there is strong support opposed!
- Important Update: Cease and Desist Letter to the City and City Council to Halt ALL demolition!
- Letter sent to Superintendent Rocha, Principals and Board of Trustees alerting All to the WVC track closure and LGHS's own track closure --severely displacing a community of track runners in Saratoga, Los Gatos and neighboring towns
- According to a local running club president : "The WVC proposal for a new track is a 200m track, rectangularly shaped with rounded corners, completely unsuitable for running . "
- Huge Turn out to Protest March: Saturday August 15. Local News Coverage , TV coverage
- Save the Track Supporters Ask Saratoga City Council Members to Stop the Demo 8/17 council meeting
The WVC running track is more than an athletic facility. It is a shared community space with deep historical significance. Legendary marathoner Bill Rodgers set a world record on this track in 1979. It also represents the legacy of longtime coach Bill Campbell, who built West Valley into a community-college cross-country powerhouse, including a state championship and 16 consecutive conference titles.
Longtime Saratoga resident Don Bowden was the team leader for the 3M Company group that helped construct the track, working alongside architects Reid and Tarics. Dezső Tarics was a member of Hungary’s Olympic water polo team who came to the United States following the 1956 Melbourne Olympics. As an Olympian himself, he envisioned creating an exceptional, multimillion-dollar track-and-field facility for West Valley College.
The track’s value is not limited to famous athletes or past achievements. For decades, it has brought together students, runners, walkers, seniors, families, neighbors, local clubs, and people intent on staying healthy. It is one of the few safe, level and accessible places where people of different ages and abilities can exercise side by side. The track in itself is a Wellness Center.
The track a true community resource: it does not serve only one team, one program, or one generation. It belongs to the broader community that has supported West Valley College for decades, the residents who voted Yes for the $700 million bond, Measure W, now poised to eliminate an asset treasured by local residents.
Bulldozing the track would remove a public resource and restrict access for the very residents whose tax dollars and bond payments are funding this project. Community members should not be asked to pay for a development that excludes them from a space they have long used and supported.
Once this historic and inclusive gathering place is destroyed, it cannot be replaced. West Valley College should honor its athletic legacy, respect its taxpayers, and preserve the track as a place where the college and community continue to come together.
Sign the petition: Save the Track! Let’s preserve this cherished community asset and gathering space.
489
The Issue
UPDATE : WVC TRACK DEMO to START SOON! FENCE IS UP! Sign Below!
Preserve an important piece of history in Saratoga
Community colleges should be Open To All
Please provide your email address to receive valuable updates. Bullbozers have arrived but there is strong support opposed!
- Important Update: Cease and Desist Letter to the City and City Council to Halt ALL demolition!
- Letter sent to Superintendent Rocha, Principals and Board of Trustees alerting All to the WVC track closure and LGHS's own track closure --severely displacing a community of track runners in Saratoga, Los Gatos and neighboring towns
- According to a local running club president : "The WVC proposal for a new track is a 200m track, rectangularly shaped with rounded corners, completely unsuitable for running . "
- Huge Turn out to Protest March: Saturday August 15. Local News Coverage , TV coverage
- Save the Track Supporters Ask Saratoga City Council Members to Stop the Demo 8/17 council meeting
The WVC running track is more than an athletic facility. It is a shared community space with deep historical significance. Legendary marathoner Bill Rodgers set a world record on this track in 1979. It also represents the legacy of longtime coach Bill Campbell, who built West Valley into a community-college cross-country powerhouse, including a state championship and 16 consecutive conference titles.
Longtime Saratoga resident Don Bowden was the team leader for the 3M Company group that helped construct the track, working alongside architects Reid and Tarics. Dezső Tarics was a member of Hungary’s Olympic water polo team who came to the United States following the 1956 Melbourne Olympics. As an Olympian himself, he envisioned creating an exceptional, multimillion-dollar track-and-field facility for West Valley College.
The track’s value is not limited to famous athletes or past achievements. For decades, it has brought together students, runners, walkers, seniors, families, neighbors, local clubs, and people intent on staying healthy. It is one of the few safe, level and accessible places where people of different ages and abilities can exercise side by side. The track in itself is a Wellness Center.
The track a true community resource: it does not serve only one team, one program, or one generation. It belongs to the broader community that has supported West Valley College for decades, the residents who voted Yes for the $700 million bond, Measure W, now poised to eliminate an asset treasured by local residents.
Bulldozing the track would remove a public resource and restrict access for the very residents whose tax dollars and bond payments are funding this project. Community members should not be asked to pay for a development that excludes them from a space they have long used and supported.
Once this historic and inclusive gathering place is destroyed, it cannot be replaced. West Valley College should honor its athletic legacy, respect its taxpayers, and preserve the track as a place where the college and community continue to come together.
Sign the petition: Save the Track! Let’s preserve this cherished community asset and gathering space.
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Petition created on July 20, 2026