On Nov. 21, the Jaguars officially took over their new lair.
North Pike High School’s boys basketball team played its first game in the school’s newly remodeled and expanded gymnasium.
Built in the late 1960s, the gym has undergone a $1.9 million renovation and expansion project. The project was funded by interest from the school district’s 16th Section land account, money in the district’s fund balance and revenue from the 2008 and 2009 fiscal budgets.
But the project has done more than build new dressing rooms, install new seats in the gym and build a new entrance and concession stand.
It also added a new art classroom on the building’s north side and four additional classrooms on the south.
The southern classrooms are capable of accommodating 30 to 33 students, adding additional space to meet the projected future increases in the high school’s student body.
The classrooms are attached to the outer wall of the gym, and people walking through the corridor separating the classrooms from the gym can see the locations of the gym’s beams.
The art classroom is located in the area once occupied by the gym’s original entrance and concession stand.
The gym’s four fans were removed and central air and heating were installed.
Inside, workers removed a stage on the south side of the gym and elevated the bleachers on both sides of the floor, removing the pull-out seats with permanent seating.
The new bleachers get the fans off the floor for a better view of the action.
Clear plastic screens protect the fans from errant balls and prevent debris from falling from the stands to the floor.
“We’ve been able to increase the seating capacity by 100 people,” said Dr. Ben Cox, North Pike superintendent. “And these seats will be more comfortable. When you sat on the old bleachers, you sat with your feet under you.”
The dressing rooms have been relocated under the bleachers, giving both the home and visiting teams more room to get ready for games.
The gym’s new entrance with a ticket booth and concession stand is on the west side of the building, facing the girls softball field.
“We’ve got everything necessary to put the concession stand in operation,” said Darryl Brock, North Pike High School principal. “We should be ready to go.”
Brock pointed to an area above the concession stand that is still under construction.
“That’s going to be a trophy case,” he said. “We’ll put our trophies up there, and it will be covered by a clear plastic screen.”
One advantage to having the gym entrance facing the softball field, Cox said, is that the school can use the ticket booth, concession stand and restrooms during the softball games.
“The contractors did a very good job,” Cox said. “We’re proud of the way it turned out and we’re happy that it’s going to serve us well in the future.”
