Why Now?

The current status of our athletic spaces and post-COVID challenges were the impetus for us to step back and evaluate how we can best meet the needs of our students and community, now and into the future.

 

Athletic Spaces:

 

• The Field House is over 35 years old. The roof has exhausted its normal life and needs to be replaced.

 

• The floor in the Field House has been compacted over the years and does not provide an optimal playing surface.

 

• Because of the design of the current Field House roof, air exchange systems are located within the building, making for an acoustical challenge.

 

• The number of students participating in athletics requires additional space for our training staff.

 

• With the age of the connecting facility between the Field House and the gym, we need upgrades to account for ADA and Title IX compliance.

 

• The number of our teams has grown so much that our current facilities do not accommodate non-team access to fitness areas for students to work out on campus on a consistent basis, and the court and space availability for activities outside of athletics is quite limited.

 

• Our Field House lobby is the gathering spot for all students, not just athletes, after school and into the evening, as the Field House is the one social space on campus that is open and staffed into the evening hours. There is no seating and no place to do work or study.

 

• Continued and increasing need to use the space in service to the larger community. 

 

Post COVID challenges:

 

• We have approximately 150 students in our special services department, with many others needing basic literacy and numeracy support and remediation.

 

• We have seen a much larger number of students in need of mental health and other support. Last year alone, we had over 300 students accessing our mental health support staff.

 

• Over 30% of our student body qualifies for free and reduced lunch.

 

• There is a strong need and desire for connection with others.  

Top 2 Spaces in Need of Upgrade:
The Field House and connector

 

Over the past year, Gordian Consulting performed a campus-wide space audit for us. The Field House and connector were identified as the top two spaces in need of upgrades based on teaching, utilization, and deferred maintenance.