Turning Vision into Reality: New Scottsdale Unified Athletic Facility Opens

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. (December 9, 2025) ― Game on Scottsdale! A new era of community play is kicking off at 68th and Oak Street. Scottsdale Unified School District (SUSD) has partnered with DLR Group, Willmeng Construction, and Bowman to transform the former Tonalea Elementary School site into the new 68th and Oak Street Athletic Facility.

To celebrate this exciting milestone, SUSD will host a ribbon-cutting ceremony later this month. The district invites the community to come out, celebrate, and explore the new facility.

Ribbon Cutting Details:
Location: New 68th and Oak Street Athletic Facility
Date: Saturday, December 13^th
Time: 10am

“For years we have been engaging in conversations with the local community about the former site of Tonalea Elementary School,” says Superintendent Dr. Scott Menzel. “The result of the intentional conversations, led by Dennis Roehler, is an amazing community asset with soccer fields, sand volleyball courts, and other amenities that reflect the community values and desires. We are grateful for the organizations who worked with us to make this project a success.”

The 68th and Oak Street Athletic Facility provides SUSD with a much-needed athletic resource, giving students opportunities to learn, play, and thrive in a healthy environment. The revitalized site serves as both a gateway to the neighborhood and a hub for community connection. Its strategic location enables it to serve multiple Scottsdale schools, while also offering facilities, such as sand volleyball courts, that the district previously had to rent.

“We’re incredibly proud to partner with the Scottsdale Unified School District to bring new life to the former Tonalea campus, a site the community has waited years to see reimagined,” says Willmeng Construction Director of Business Development James Crean. “This project represents much more than new athletic fields; it’s the renewal of a long-vacant space into something vibrant, safe, and beneficial for everyone in South Scottsdale. It’s about creating a lasting resource that will serve students, families, and the community for generations to come.” 

“This facility is a wonderful asset for Scottsdale students and the larger community, it is a perfect cost-effective solution to give a vacant site a new life,” said DLR Group Senior Principal and K-12 Education Leader Carmen Wyckoff, AIA, LEED AP. 

Serving SUSD students, the new facility features eight competition sand volleyball courts and refreshed original ball fields. With solar-powered LED lighting throughout the athletic fields and parking area, the project offers a sustainable and energy-efficient design. The facility also includes community amenities such as a playground, walking path, and calisthenic pods where visitors can stop, stretch, and enjoy the new space.

Media Contacts: 

Kristine Harrington, (480) 404-2417,  kristineharrington@susd.org;  

Cymphanie Sherman, (602) 615-7325, csherman@susd.org

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About the Scottsdale Unified School District
With around 20,000 students in our schools, the Scottsdale Unified School District (SUSD) has been a premier choice for pre-kindergarten through grade 12 public education for nearly 130 years. Located northeast of metropolitan Phoenix, the District serves the educational needs of students and families in Phoenix, Paradise Valley, Fountain Hills, Tempe and Scottsdale. A highly experienced, professionally certified teaching staff fosters a diverse and rigorous educational environment that engages all students in world-class, future-focused learning. Offering gifted learning, special education, career and technical education, and a variety of athletics, arts and enrichment programs and clubs, SUSD provides the rich environment today’s students need to explore their interests, develop important social skills and grow into tomorrow’s leaders.

For more information, visit www.susd.org and follow along on social media: Facebook: @ScottsdaleUSD, X: @ScottsdaleUSD, Instagram: @ScottsdaleUnifiedSD, LinkedIn and YouTube.

 About DLR Group

DLR Group is an integrated design firm delivering architecture, engineering, interiors, planning, and building optimization for new construction, renovation, and adaptive reuse. Our promise is to elevate the human experience through design. This promise inspires sustainable design for a diverse group of public and private sector clients; local communities; and our planet. DLR Group is 100% employee-owned and fully supports the initiatives and goals of the 2030 Challenge, and is an initial signatory to the China Accord and the AIA 2030 Commitment.