An extraordinary construction project is taking shape at St. Vincent High School in Petaluma.  Made possible by the equally extraordinary generosity of a kind-hearted person that saw the opportunity to make a difference in a lot of lives.  I wonder if she has any idea just how many.

About a year ago, two St. Vincent cheerleaders were excited to have their out-of-town grandmother in the stands for a Mustang football home game.  She noticed the condition of the field and learned from the girls that, in addition to challenging conditions on the school’s multi-use turf, many of St. V’s other sports relied on city parks for practice fields.  In a town already short on playing fields.  And she learned that the Varsity baseball games are played in a park with a grandstand so dilapidated that no one is allowed to use it.  She learned that the school had a vision for renovating the field and had earmarked considerable funds for future construction, but closing the funding gap seemed a distant dream.   So the girls’ grandmother stepped up to the plate with her rally cap on and made that dream a reality.  The only string attached was a timeline. No analysis paralysis allowed. She challenged the school and the City to make it happen by Fall 2009.  She is a very private person that wishes the fanfare to be about the kids, not about herself.  So while many stories like this would focus on the donors, this story focuses instead on the power of one person to make a difference.

The reconstruction of St. Vincent High School’s athletic field is on schedule for an October 10th ribbon cutting and it is amazing.  The “big dig” stage is past; an elaborate drainage system with more layers than Beyond The Glory’s Super Nachos is in place beneath the all-weather Field Turf surface that is being installed.  The amphitheater behind the school is a work of art. The scoreboard, donated by a group of formerly (and probably still) rambunctious St. V alums is in place and plans are underway for a series of celebrations.  The only detail in doubt is whether the rubberized perimeter running path will replace the long standing tradition of football squads running the Cherry Street Hill. The Rancho Cotate Cougars offered to share their practice fields during construction and the football players can’t stop talking about how lucky they are during their daily commute to Rohnert Park.

And there is a lot to crow about outside the lines of the new St. Vincent’s stadium. A huge chunk of the construction dollars will re-circulate several times over in the Petaluma and Sonoma County economy.  Construction workers spend their paychecks at local businesses whose employees spend their  own paychecks in the area.  Those purchases put sales tax revenue in city and county coffers to help fix the streets and build parks, two of PTown’s greatest needs. Those jobs help homeowners stay in their homes during rough times, funneling tax dollars into the public school system.  Other organizations will rent the St. Vincent facility to host tournaments, bringing more families to Petaluma for a day or a weekend, further boosting our local economy through tourism dollars.

Imagine how these bucks could multiply if more people in a position to spark a rally for projects around town stepped up to the plate.  Perhaps to get the planned East Washington Park off of the drafting table and into construction…  or to restore funding for high school vocational classes that power local agriculture, just to name a few worthy PTown possibilities.  These and other dreams may be only a phone call or two away from reality.  They just need someone to spark a rally.  With enough PTown rallies, we could see empty storefronts start to fill up again.  We could see school enrollments begin to stabilize, keeping some of our best teachers in their classrooms.

Talk to anyone with an athlete at the school or a friend on the staff and they can’t wipe the grin of their face.  Spend a minute with Coach Galloway and you’ll feel like a kid again yourself.  And next time you drive up Keokuk, tip your cap to The Power Of One.

Rally cap time, PTown.