Batavia High School to install new gymnasium floor

BATAVIA – Batavia High School sports teams and physical education students will be running and jumping on a brand new gymnasium floor next fall.

Spectators may not even recognize the gym space, which will be completely repainted, feature relocated scoreboards for better viewing and other improvements.

The Batavia School Board on Tuesday approved a $610,500 contract for the work, which will get underway later this spring and be completed over the summer.

The gymnasium playing surface at the high school has seen better days.

The 30-year-old wooden floor boards are now prone to cracking and splintering, creating both a danger for students and a routine of endless repairs.

“In the last five years, the gym floor has had hundreds of boards repaired and is now in need of complete replacement,” School District 101 Director of Operations Mark Anderson said.

The renovation project will include replacement of both the 12,000-square-foot main gymnasium floor and the 10,000-square-foot adjacent auxiliary gym’s playing surface, Anderson said.

Work is scheduled to begin April 30, Anderson said, with physical education classes taking place either outside or in the school’s field house.

Paul Borg Construction Company of Chicago, the low bidder on the project, will install the maple hardwood floor boards before applying a sealcoating.

Workers also will repaint the walls and ceiling for the entire space, move the scoreboards for improved viewing from the home bleacher stands and perform electrical work, Anderson said.

The contract includes a $42,000 contingency, Anderson said, allowing for any unforeseen work that may arise.

Unused funds from the contingency will be credited back to the school district when the project is complete, Anderson said, which is expected to be July 31.

When the new school year starts, the BHS girls volleyball team will be the first to play on the new floor, Anderson said, before the basketball teams put the new playing surface to the test.

In addition to the work at the high school gym, the school board approved work to replace the playgrounds and equipment at two elementary schools.

“The playgrounds at Hoover-Wood and Grace McWayne are in poor condition and are becoming a safety concern,” Anderson told the school board, explaining that both playgrounds are original to the 19-year-old buildings.

The board approved two contracts, one for $328,142 to replace both playground surfaces, including drainage work, and another for $376,485 to purchase new equipment for the two playgrounds.

The work will take place over the summer for use by students when classes start in August.

The PTOs from both schools donated funds for the purchase of additional equipment, Anderson said.

The Hoover-Wood PTO donated $9,850, while the Grace McWayne PTO donated $5,300, according to school board documents.

The money for the gymnasium and playground projects is included in the district’s capital fund budget for the current fiscal year.