On the southwest corner of Maddy Equine Lab, wooden striped racing poles are scattered around the western exterior of the building. These wooden poles were originally used as markers at the TanforanRacetrack in San Bruno, which operated from 1899 to 1964, and according to Dr. Ashely Hill, Co-Director, Serology Section Head, Epidemiologist, the poles were donated years ago by the lab staff. The poles served as 1/16-mile markers, and the curved exterior of the Maddy lab is meant to evoke the curve of a racetrack.

Due to the age and historical importance of the poles, it’s a priority to ensure they’re kept intact and well preserved. When Chase Fowler, from the Building Maintenance Services (BMS) PaintShop, was assigned the task of preserving the poles, he knew the importance of keeping these wood poles intact and was excited about the task! The age of the poles and looking for any deteriorating areas on the pole were important to keep this in mind when assessing the condition of the poles. According to Danny Garza, BMS Paint Shop Lead, most were intact except the pole on the West side of the lawn. It was completely rotted through, up to the round red ball on top. Steps had to be taken to not only glue it all back together but to also preserve what was left.

Chase and Danny took care to restore the poles to their past glory, rebuilding any rotted areas and using their expertise to perfectly color match all three colors on the poles before the restoration. Thank you, Chase and Danny, for keeping the race track memories going strong!