Work on the Thunder Bay Junior High School track continued on Wednesday. The track is in the process of being resurfaced.

ALPENA — Alpena Public Schools has run into a few hurdles while trying to complete the resurfacing of the track at the Thunder Bay Junior High School.

APS Supervisor of Facilities Kurt Konieczny said the district hired Hanover-based Current Surfaces Inc. to resurface the track, but the company ran into issues while stripping the track’s rubber surface.

“It did not come off as well as what they would have thought it would have come off,” Konieczny said. “Actually, it was noted by Current Surfaces, to be one of the toughest track surfaces to peel off they’ve ever dealt with.”

Interim Superintendent Susan Wooden said there was some concern the remaining rubber would not allow the new asphalt to adhere properly. She said a “burn test” was conducted on the residual rubber with a torch to study how it melted and whether it would interfere with application of asphalt.

Wooden said district officials decided that milling the track surface would ensure further removal of the remaining rubber and produce the appropriate slope, from the inner to outer perimeter. Everett Goodrich Inc., the company providing asphalt for the project, helped them locate the milling company to perform the milling work.

After the milling was completed, Wooden said the asphalt was successfully applied, adhered to the rubber, and is at the precise slope.

Remedial work was also needed on the pole vault and jump runways at the track, because they were dug too deeply.

Wooden said there was no additional cost to the district because of the remediation.

“I’m very proud of the expertise and collaboration of all our contracted services to produce the best possible results for the district,” she said. “Student athletes in the APS Track Program will benefit from these improvements for many years.”

The total cost of the project was not immediately available.

The APS Board of Education in July agreed to pay Current Surfaces Inc. $16,000 for the removal of the track surface and $86,632 to lay down new surfacing. They are also paying Alpena-based Everett Goodrich $89,000 to lay the asphalt and Lachine-based MacArthur Construction $46,000 for the landscaping.

Konieczny said there will be a two week to one month cure time on the new asphalt, before new surfacing can be applied.