By JOE DODD
The new $2.3 million Gilmer High School Field House will debut to the public on Sunday, May 20 at an open house from 3-5 p.m.
The 16,000-square-foot building is located just north of Buckeye Stadium, and can be accessed from Bradford Street. RPR Construction Co., Inc., of Tyler was general contractor for the project, while Thacker/Davis Architect Inc. of Longview designed the cinder-block and brick building.
The building, new equipment and furnishings, along with the parking lot cost approximately $1.85 million. An additional $450,000 was spent on dirt work preparation for the building and any future expansion of the high school.
The old field house, originally constructed in 1962, featured only 3,500 square feet, along with another 1,500 in a metal building. Plumbing problems, frequent staph infections, and a leaky roof were common concerns for the approximately 170 student-athletes and more than a dozen coaches that used the facility.
The new facility includes several new features including a foyer with several large trophy cases, a large meeting room, an athletic department secretary’s office, and a separate coach’s locker room with showers.
The new facility sports three locker rooms, a training room, an equipment storage/laundry area, and a weight room which looks out onto the stadium. All areas are considerably larger than the previous areas in the old building. "It’s twice as big as the other one," commented Traylor about the weight room. "We have 75 kids in first period athletics right now, and we can work them all out in the weight room at the same time. In the past, we had to split the kids up and use different kinds of weight workouts we really didn’t want to do, just so we could get all the kids in the weight room."
According to Traylor, the expanded training area for head athletic trainer Steve York might be the most important upgrade in the new building. "We have a lot more space for treating people. We have four training tables now, and we have a whole room set up just for rehab. It’s going to save our kids a lot of money by not having to go to Longview or Tyler for their rehab. They can rehab right there in our own building. Now the finest trainer in the state of Texas has one of the finest training rooms in the state of Texas." Traylor also praised the expanded locker rooms. "Last years freshmen team had 65 players sharing 30 half-lockers. Now we have 50 full lockers for each locker room."
Lack of space has been a problem since Traylor took over the Buckeyes’ program in 2000 and turned it into one of the most successful in the state. The Buckeyes have a 71-14 overall record under Traylor, and won the school’s first state championship in 2004.
With the recent additions of a new artificial turf field, new concession stand and bathrooms, and soon-to-be expanded stadium seating, the Buckeyes now have the facilities to match their record. "Our facilities are second to none. We are very proud of it. We plan on taking care of it, and make it last as long as that last building lasted."
The new $2.3 million Gilmer High School Field House will debut to the public on Sunday, May 20 at an open house from 3-5 p.m.
The 16,000-square-foot building is located just north of Buckeye Stadium, and can be accessed from Bradford Street. RPR Construction Co., Inc., of Tyler was general contractor for the project, while Thacker/Davis Architect Inc. of Longview designed the cinder-block and brick building.
The building, new equipment and furnishings, along with the parking lot cost approximately $1.85 million. An additional $450,000 was spent on dirt work preparation for the building and any future expansion of the high school.
The old field house, originally constructed in 1962, featured only 3,500 square feet, along with another 1,500 in a metal building. Plumbing problems, frequent staph infections, and a leaky roof were common concerns for the approximately 170 student-athletes and more than a dozen coaches that used the facility.
The new facility includes several new features including a foyer with several large trophy cases, a large meeting room, an athletic department secretary’s office, and a separate coach’s locker room with showers.
The new facility sports three locker rooms, a training room, an equipment storage/laundry area, and a weight room which looks out onto the stadium. All areas are considerably larger than the previous areas in the old building. "It’s twice as big as the other one," commented Traylor about the weight room. "We have 75 kids in first period athletics right now, and we can work them all out in the weight room at the same time. In the past, we had to split the kids up and use different kinds of weight workouts we really didn’t want to do, just so we could get all the kids in the weight room."
According to Traylor, the expanded training area for head athletic trainer Steve York might be the most important upgrade in the new building. "We have a lot more space for treating people. We have four training tables now, and we have a whole room set up just for rehab. It’s going to save our kids a lot of money by not having to go to Longview or Tyler for their rehab. They can rehab right there in our own building. Now the finest trainer in the state of Texas has one of the finest training rooms in the state of Texas." Traylor also praised the expanded locker rooms. "Last years freshmen team had 65 players sharing 30 half-lockers. Now we have 50 full lockers for each locker room."
Lack of space has been a problem since Traylor took over the Buckeyes’ program in 2000 and turned it into one of the most successful in the state. The Buckeyes have a 71-14 overall record under Traylor, and won the school’s first state championship in 2004.
With the recent additions of a new artificial turf field, new concession stand and bathrooms, and soon-to-be expanded stadium seating, the Buckeyes now have the facilities to match their record. "Our facilities are second to none. We are very proud of it. We plan on taking care of it, and make it last as long as that last building lasted."
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