Genoa gym to show off renovation

The $1.4 million renovation of Genoa High School’s gym, as well as its auditorium, is ‘95 percent’complete, the superintendent said.

GENOA — The Genoa school district is the proud owner of a renovated gym.

“It’s 95 percent done. We just have a punch list to complete and some general cleaning,” Superintendent Dennis Mock said. “It looks real nice. We’re real happy.”

Basketball practice was held in the gym on Thursday. The high school girls are to play their first game there Jan. 3. On Friday and Saturday, the Northcoast Duals wrestling tournament will be held in the gym.

Mr. Mock said the wrestling tournament could attract a big turnout because of its venue. Relatively few community members have seen the gym.

“We’ve had a few holiday programs, and people have been able to peek through the windows, but most people have not seen the finished product,” he said.

The gym overhaul included extending the facility by 30 feet at the north end, where 380 bleacher seats were added to the previous capacity of 980.

Included in the $1.4 million renovation are the concessions stand, the boys and girls locker rooms, and public restrooms, along with high school west-wing improvements that involved ceiling tiles and lighting, painting, and classroom doors.

The project also includes renovation of the auditorium, which received seats, paint, lights, and carpeting.

The building improvements are made possible by a 1.9-mill bond levy voters approved in 2008. The bond issue has a 28-year life and generates about $166,000 annually.

The bulk of the property tax goes to paying the district’s share of the elementary school that opened last year, and the remaining millage pays for the district’s locally funded initiatives, which have included putting a restroom in the Booster Barn, replacing a gym roof, installing a new phone system, renovating the high school science labs, and improving asphalt pavement.

The millage also went to the installation of an irrigation system that uses pond water on the playing fields instead of municipal water from Oregon, saving about $30,000 annually.

With the completion of the gym renovation, the only remaining project on the district’s wish list is air conditioning in the high school. That won’t be done for a while, however, because no money is available.

— Carl Ryan