NEW GYMNASIUM … This area behind the current school is where the junior high gym will be built. Groundbreaking for the new gym is slated for May 1st, with a completion date of May 31st, 2023. (PHOTO BY DANIEL COOLEY, STAFF)
By: Daniel Cooley
Using money provided from a COVID relief fund, the Millcreek-West Unity school district will be building a new junior high gym.
The gym will be attached to the back of the school. Some money also came from a building fund and maintenance money.
Currently, the Hilltop school district has a high school gym and an auxiliary gym. But the auxiliary gym has just three rows of seating on one side, not leaving much room for the two competing teams and for fans.
The new junior high gym will have full seating on one side, providing seats for over 400 people. The playing surface will be about the same size as the high school’s playing surface.
There will also be locker rooms added, as well as a coach’s office and a concession area.
“This will bring about more opportunities for practices for both junior high and high school teams,” said Millcreek-West Unity superintendent Jim Wyse.
“We can also host junior high tournaments, as well as a lot of other things. We can use the gym for a science fair, which would give the fair more room than before and they wouldn’t have to tear it down immediately afterwards, like before.”
“It can also help with spring sports, where they can use batting cages and areas for throwing. It could also provide more space for tutoring.”
Originally, the project was going to be even larger, but Wyse said they downscaled things a bit, which saved the district around one-half million dollars.
“And we were still able to keep the main ingredients,” Wyse said.
The expansion project will also provide for a choir room and a weight room, which will be double the size of the current weight room.
Providing that the weather cooperates, there will be a groundbreaking ceremony on May 1st with a projected finish date on the gym schedule for May 31st, 2023.
Dan can be reached at publisher@thevillagereporter.com