Elmore City-Pernell Public Schools has called for a $19.79 million bond election with the hope of adding a new gymnasium.
“It’s a need at this point, and it touches on more than athletics,” said Superintendent Sheila Riddle. “I hope the community can help us get it. Our community is very special, and they show up for our district and for our students, and we look forward to them helping us meet our needs.”
The current gym was built in the 1950s and poses numerous maintenance, safety, accessibility and functionality issues.
In addition to basketball games, events held in the gymnasium include band and vocal concerts, promenade, graduation when weather is bad, the annual Veterans Day program and elementary music programs. The district does not currently have an auditorium for these sorts of events.
“The gym is a social hub for Elmore City,” Riddle said. “It’s so important to have this facility for the social events we have at this school.”
This bond issue would be an 11% increase in property taxes. That would be an additional $11 for every $100 someone currently pays in property taxes.
To vote in the Feb. 10 election, voters must register by Jan. 16.
The new gym would take 18-24 months to build. The goal would be for this year’s freshman to play in it.
The old gym would remain for all current activities until the new gym is completed. The school board has not yet decided how the district would utilize the old gym in the event a new one is built.
If approved, the new gymnasium would be built where the current football practice field is located. The practice field would be relocated. The current parking between that field and the highway would become the parking for the new gym. The gym would face south, toward that parking lot and Highway 29 (Lindsey Street).
The new building would be 25,000 square feet with a seating capacity of about 1,000 people.
Current events in the gym often end up standing room only.
“Our public events fill the gym very quickly,” Riddle said. “This will allow everyone to have a seat.
The new building would also be compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act. There will be places for wheelchair users to be in the stands instead of where they currently sit on the court. A lift would be available to take students who need it up to the student section located on the upper level.
The current gym has numerous maintenance issues, including multiple roof leaks, clogged sinks and unusable showers. Leaks have extended to the stands, which means they could soon hit the court, making it even more difficult to maintain a safe court.
The lobby and concession stand area routinely flood when it rains. School personnel have to set out sandbags in an attempt to keep water from seeping under the doors, and the uneven floor creates a pool that has to be cleaned up.
Chipped paint and tiles are throughout the locker rooms and bathrooms. Fixing sewage clogs has not eliminated smells that permeate certain areas.
“The gym has done its time,” Riddle said. “It’s old, and it shows its age, and it is not a healthy environment for our students.”
The current gym’s air conditioning units are about 25 years old and will need to be replaced soon, which alone could cost the district thousands of dollars.
The wooden bleachers are designed in a way that makes it difficult to replace damaged boards. Exposed nails also pose a safety hazard.
“The wooden bleachers are nostalgic, but over time, these things wear down,” Riddle said.
Functionally, the current gym lacks room on the sideline of the basketball court. The official out-of-bounds line is so close to the walls that an extra red line is on the court, as a marker for where the defense can stand during an inbounds play. This new gym would solve that issue, by including plenty of space around all sides of the court. These changes plus a larger, updated hospitality room would give the district a facility capable of hosting a basketball tournament once again.
The new gym would also feature a room for the cheerleading squads to use for storage and practice. Other additions would include updated laundry facilities, larger restrooms with more stalls, an updated weightroom and an updated Hall of Fame room.
The exterior of the new building would match the other newer buildings on campus. The elementary school is around 20 years old, the middle school is about 10 years old and the high school is about three years old.
“This gym is the next step, the next big need,” Riddle said. “We’ve taken care of the academic needs. Now this is the next big need.”
Information about the bond will be on display in the current gymnasium and at local businesses for the public to view before the election.
