Gym closed while floor redone

Renovations started again this spring at the Milton High School gym.  The renovations are on track to be done two or three weeks before graduation, which is on May 29. 
According to Principal Mr. Michael Bergey, a pipe burst into the janitor’s closet in the gym hallway in October. 
“Water got under the gym floor from this pipe, causing damage and cupping to a quarter of the floor,” he said. 
Mr Bergey said he wanted to give recognition to the janitorial staff for cleaning up the “lake of water” from the pipe and cleaning the mess before the kids came to school the next day. 
According to Business Administrator Mr. Derrek Fink, the new floor and new gym divider curtain cost $194,500, but has been covered by insurance. 
However, the school district still had to pay $3,000 to make the gym floor playable for the winter season after the pipe burst, he said.  
“They were able to level the top portion of the warped floor that was impacting the play area. The rest of the floor was playable and not an issue currently but would continue to warp over time and that is why the full replacement was required,” he added. 
“All American Athletics did the flooring, and they have regular have done resurfacing projects for Milton in the past,” Mr. Fink said. 
Mr.Bergey added that the Milton administration had to make a choice as to when they to start the gym floor renovations, he said, adding that they could not start earlier because of wrestling and basketball season. The renovations could not wait until summer since the summer weather would be too humid, he added. 
“The moisture in the summer would make the wood worse, so we thought starting in the early spring between end of winter sports and before graduation would work better,” he said.  
The school understands the gym classes have been disrupted in this process, Mr. Bergey said. However, this time in the spring was the best time to make sure sports and big events were not being interrupted, he added. The gym classes have adapted well to this sudden change, he added.  
Over the summer between last school year and this school year, the gym was remodeled because of needed refreshments to keep up the quality of the gym, said Mr. Fink. The cost of this renovation was not covered by insurance, and it cost the school $183,000, he added. 
“The gym floor was due for refinishing. The previous banners and mats were beyond their replacement age painting was as well, and after a property inspection, it was determined that the lighting in the gym was below standard,” he explained.