TAYLOR — It’s been a roller coaster ride but Taylor School District is finally taking a big step forward.
On Thursday, the district held a special ceremony to officially break ground on an new-and-improved athletics complex at Taylor High School. The project is a focal point stemming from a bond approval that took place over four years ago.While the end goal has by and large remained the remained the same, the path of getting to Thursday’s breaking of ground has not been void of obstacles and alterations in recent years. District superintendent Michael Wegher said as such in his opening remarks to those in attendance.
“It has not been an easy path to this moment, to say the very least,” Wegher said. “There are certainly bound to be more bumps in the road. But today is a huge step in the right direction for our students and our community.”
Thursday’s was not without some midday changes with Mother Nature, as she commonly does in Michigan, interrupting plans for the ceremony to be held inside. The festivities relocated to inside the school’s gymnasium, halting a formal digging into the dirt, if anything.
The pivoting of Thursday’s ceremony, however, was in many ways a fitting microcosm for what has transpired in recent years with Taylor Schools.
The journey began back on election day of 2021, when a $130 million bond was approved to make sweeping changes across the entire Taylor school district. At the time, it was the city’s first bond passed for its school in over 50 years.
Those plans then included demolishing the former Kennedy High School facility and building a brand-new high school and sports complex at that 23033 Northline Road location.
Kennedy was eventually bulldozed for good in September of 2023. Alumni of the school earlier that summer reunited one last time to bid farewell to their former halls.
Perhaps the biggest obstacle for Taylor School District came of the financial kind in December of 2023, in what was deemed a misappropriation of pandemic relief funds. A month later, the district proceeded forward with a revised, cost-effective, multi-year plan that included the closing and subsequent consolidating of schools.
Wegher acknowledged that while the original promises kept could no longer come to fruition, the dedication to providing top-tier facilities for Taylor Schools was of the utmost priority.
“I did this because this is what our kids deserve and what they expect from us as leaders in the Taylor school district,” Wegher said. “This is a big step in delivering our students the facilities they deserve. We’re here to give our students and athletes the same opportunities that they have in our neighboring districts.”
“This is a big step,” Wegher continued. “It’s not the last one, it is the first one.”
Challenges aside, the soon-to-be renewed complex will bring Taylor High School, located at 11211 Beech Daly Rd, more up to par with the majority of other local schools in terms of athletics facilities.
It’s long-awaited sigh of relief for athletics director Christopher Simons. A Taylor-made student-athlete turned educator and coach in the school district, Simons knows the immediate and long-term impact the new facilities will bring.
“Over the last 20 years, I’ve seen Taylor fall behind in student participation, skill set, and, most importantly, having safe facilities,” Simons said. “I’m excited about the future of our facilities and what it will mean for our students, our school, and our community.”
Per the Taylor Schools official website, ongoing projects at the high school include general updates to the building itself to improve comfort, as well as mechanical controls to boost “efficiency and comfort.”
As far as the athletics complex plans are concerned, several new facilities for use are expected to be ready come the start of the 2026-27 school year. That includes a new football/soccer stadium, baseball and softball fields, and tennis courts.
Taylor is a member of the Downriver League for interscholastic athletics, and is the largest in terms of enrollment (1,766). They are also currently the only school within the conference to not have an artificial turf playing surface for soccer and football games.
In fact, of the 20 Downriver area high schools that field football teams, Taylor is one of just four to not have artificial turf. Though they at times welcomed the change-of-pace home field advantage, Simons says he is equally welcoming to see the school be on even grounds with its counterparts in the Downriver League.
“It’s not just about the sports, Simons said. “It’s about giving our students a safe place to develop, in all measures of the word.
Taylor will also be continuing the trend of schools incorporating artificial turf to their baseball and softball fields. Five of the nine member schools in the Downriver League already have turf at least in the infield, with one of those five — Brownstown Woodhaven — having turf across the whole field.
The construction set to take place during the recently-started spring sports season will directly affect multiple sports teams for Taylor in terms of scheduling.
Those that will be affected the most are the girls soccer, girls tennis, and the track and field teams, all of which will be participating in away-only events. The baseball and softball teams will continue to play their home games at Heritage Park, where they have done so since the 2023 spring season.
Reluctant to host bigger events in years past, the plan now is to put in bids for Taylor to do so, not just within the Downriver League but also for the MHSAA postseason, and even those outside of high school athletics altogether.
“This facility is more than just for students playing games,” Simons said. “It’s a hub of opportunities for our district. We have a chance to bring more events to Taylor, such as band competitions, other athletic tournaments, and community showcases.
“It’s going to be great to contribute to the state,” Simons continued. “We can show them that we have a great group of staff and administrators. We all work together and all have a common interest for our kids.”
Although their grand plan hasn’t entirely gone according to plan, Thursday was a milestone moment for the Taylor Schools. And the parties involved reiterated that the path to reinvigorating the district is not going to be without further hurdles ahead.
Those same parties also know and understand the value a new athletics complex can bring to the entire Taylor community, and keeping it in the community.
“We’re going to take the bad taste out of the community’s mouth about our district,” Simons said. “I think it’s time now that we get our kids back (in Taylor). It’s about building that better image and a better environment.”
“It’s something that we finally get to see through and something that is long overdue.”
