Bids requested this fall for new FFA Barn
CAPAC — One step into the newly renovated Capac high school gym reveals a brightly lit, newly constructed hardwood maple floor surface that is a drastic change from the previous floor and one that is sure to please coaches, athletes and all visitors in the future.
The $245,000 gym floor upgrade came as a result of a bond issue that district voters passed in the fall of 2022, according to Superintendent Jeff Terpenning.
“The taxpayers have been extremely supportive of us. If we show them what we need, and why we need it, they have been very good to the district and supporting what we are doing here at Capac,” said the sixth year superintendent. “We are extremely thankful for the community support we have received over the years.”
The district will actually see about $4.7 million of the $6.7 million bond issue, after various bond fees and other costs were deducted. The 15-year bond goes along with another bond issue, from 2017, that taxpayers are currently paying off.
The new gymnasium floor at Capac high school has been completed and will host athletic events beginning this week.
Prior to the end of last school year, in May, the high school gym was closed and crews began the task of removing all of the old floor, down to the concrete base and rebuilt the new floor including the installation of two vapor barriers and a cushioned, shock absorbing material underneath the finished maple hardwood flooring.
All new competition lines and the famous Chief’s Head logo at midcourt were also re-done. The Harry C. Moore logo remains on the gym wall.
“There was an asbestos issue that was taken care of during the work and over the years, there has been moisture issues in the gym too,” Terpenning explained. “We had epoxy and plastic moisture barriers installed before the finished product (wood floor) that will resolve those issues.”
He went on to add, “We closed the gym down and the company started in May and pulled all the bleachers out from the walls. They took the entire old floor out and it took until last week to get it completed. It looks beautiful now.”
The Capac girls volleyball team will be the first athletic team to use the new facility this week.
Terpenning said plans also call for a secondary gym to be sanded down and finished to match the new main gym.
The other big ticket item for the 2022 bond issue is the construction of a 40 x 60 FFA barn, estimated to cost around $300,000.
“We will be taking bids on several things this fall, including the ag barn,” Terpenning stated. “That program is really doing well and the addition of the barn will allow them to do so much more. It will have a small loft area along with pens for livestock and other features.”
Construction of the 2,400 square-foot barn is not planned until next spring, depending on availability of construction companies.
Other items on the bond list will be sought this fall as well, including work at the elementary school where new doors, cabinets and furniture will be installed.
“Some of those items are original to when the school was built and that’s a lot of years,” said Terpenning. “We’re also looking at doing some upgrades at the athletic field, where track and football play, like a press box addition, an updated ticket booth area by the entrance and we’re also hoping to take bids on a couple of new school buses.”
While a lot of the work has been completed, or is being let out for bid, the superintendent said one other major project has been pushed down the road a few months.
“We’re looking at doing some paving work on campus, but that’s been pushed down the road to next fall. Not this fall, but in the fall of 2024. That’s how long we have to wait for a paving company,” Terpenning pointed out. “We are pretty much at the mercy of contractors and take them when we can get them.”
Terpenning said along with the two bond issues, the district has also been able to secure two major grants, totaling a combined $161,000 that has allowed them to upgrade security throughout the district.
