FHS debuts updated gym

ABOVE: Fairmont High School’s updated gym, which features new paint, new banners and new flooring.

FAIRMONT– Fairmont High School’s main gym got a major facelift over the summer months. Spectators, students and athletes alike will notice the changes which make the space more modern and bright.

Activities Director Mat Mahoney said that the project was a process that took several months to come to fruition.

“We had a small committee to start, the volleyball coach, basketball coaches, and we as a group came up with a design with school administration and Tyler Garrison (buildings and grounds). We all had some ideas and after a handful of meetings it turned out really well,” Mahoney said.

Planning took place over the winter months and was finalized in the spring. Once solidified, Mahoney said a company first came in to clean all of the duct work in the ceiling, which took about a week.

“You have to remember, this was built in 1971 so a lot of dust had accumulated,” Mahoney said.

After the vacuuming and taping were done, the ceiling and the walls were painted. While the ceiling used to be a mix of orange and yellow, it’s now white which helps brighten up the space.

“Once the ceiling and walls were done, they came in and sanded off the floors,” Mahoney said.

The floors were stained two-toned and after that set for about a week, all of the various lines and Cardinal logos were painted back on.

The floors are not original to the gym, but were installed in 2010, along with the bleachers.

Garrison said, “it’s recommended to do the floors like this every 10 years but we got more life out of this one, and our floors at the elementary school, because we put a new finish coat on the floors every summer to protect and preserve them.”

In addition to updates to the walls, floor and ceiling, new banners were put up for each of the school districts in the Big South Conference. Visual Identity Vault did wrapping on the doors and a new sports score table was put in.

It’s also worth noting that all of the banners which mark the years different teams have won state championships were put back up in their usual place on the wall.

“We like the banners. They tell the history. It’s a perfect wall to highlight them,” Mahoney said.

Mahoney had intentionally pushed back any home games to ensure that the gym was finished before the district hosted. Physical education classes have still been taking place in the gym since school started for the year but the first home game won’t be until Sept. 17, when Fairmont volleyball will play against St. James.

Mahoney pointed out that this was the most significant update to the gym since 2010 and he said he believes the district went about the project in the right way by tackling several upgrades at once.

In total, the floor itself was $63,000, which included sanding, staining, repainting and finishing. The cost of painting, which included rafters, ceiling and walls, was $57,000.

“We really are happy with it. Everyone I talk to agrees it has a classy feel to it that I don’t think will go out of style,” Mahoney said.