Nevada County Picayune and Gurdon Times Newspaper Archive

School To Tour Gyms Before Building

Plans are in the works for a new gymnasium at Prescott High School.

Once renovation work has been completed on the three schools in town, the remaining money will be used to build a new gym on the PHS campus.

Ron Wright, Prescott superintendent, said representatives from the district will visit other schools with new gyms to see what they have, what went wrong with construction and what the other districts like about their facilities. The public is invited to go along on the tours.

"I'd like to see construction begin in late spring or early summer," Wright said.

However, before this can occur, plans must be completed by the architectural firm of David French from Hot Springs.

Wright said public input on the plans is also appreciated. The current model, he added, can be viewed by anyone wanting to see what the gym may look like when it's done.

Once completed, though, the gym should be a showplace for Prescott. Currently, plans are to have seating for 2,000 fans. This capacity would give PHS the opportunity to bid for larger tournaments, such as regional and state contests.

Getting regional and state tourney games, Wright said, can only help the local and area economy.

In addition, the gym could be used for other functions, such as graduation, with seating for 2,000. Then, in cases of inclement weather, the graduation ceremonies could be held indoors with no problems.

The proposed cost of the structure is $1.75 million, or about $70 per square foot. Wright hopes to get several local contractors involved on the bidding process to help keep the building costs down and save the district money.

Wright talked about possible forums to help keep the public informed as to the plans for the gym, as well as getting input from local residents.

He said the model could be put on display at to the Nevada County Library, City Hall and the Nevada County Courthouse. By doing this, the public could examine the plans in a three dimensional format and make comments accordingly.

Initial plans for the gym call fora sunken floor. This is to keep fans from getting onto the court and out of harms way. In the current gym, fans are less than six feet from the court.

Dressing rooms will be beneath the bleachers, with the concession stand also being built under the ground floor bleachers, Wright said.

The lobby will be large enough to use as a lunchroom for PHS students and keep them from going to Prescott Elementary to eat their noon meal.

Currently, PHS students have to cross a street to get to PES for lunch.

It would also keep high school students from mingling with elementary children.

A field house would be built on the back end of the gym and be large enough to have offices for the coaching staff.

The gym plans call for an elevated walking track behind the top of the bleachers, so walkers can get their exercise without being outside in the weather. Wright said this part of the gym could be opened early by the janitorial staff, while the gym floor would remain closed.

Following the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), the gym plans include seating for handicapped fans. However, exactly where this seating will be located won't be determined until the plans are finalized.

Parking for PHS basketball games will be in front of the home economic building and old junior high. Additional parking will be in front of the existing gym, while, in cases of overflow traffic, the student lot at PHS can be used.

The current gym, Wright said, can be used as an indoor physical education facility. This would allow the district to get student PE teachers from nearby colleges to help out with the classes.

Because of the lack of indoor facilities at this time, the district can't get student PE teachers.