HISD bond: Construction of multi-purpose facility

By Jimmy Appelt

tribunenewsroom@sbcglobal.net

This is part 3 of information regarding the various items included in the proposed $13.82 million bond election ordered by the Hallettsville Independent School District for Saturday, May 7. This week’s information report is in regards to the construction of a multi-purpose facility. The proposed cost for this project is $9.8 million.

In February of last year, the old gymnasium that was built in 1948 was demolished on the Hallettsville High School campus.

The old gym, which had served its purpose for over 70 years, had developed a number of issues that a Texas Association of School Boards (TASB) evaluation condemned the building and the HISD board decided to remove it from the campus.

Citing reasons for its demise, HISD superintendent Dr. Jo Ann Bludau said over the years as buildings and reconstruction of streets in the area took place, those projects caused a slightly lower elevation at the gym’s location.

In addition, due to its design at a time when air-conditioning was not used in gyms, the lack of conditioned air coupled with humidity and drainage problems from the flow of water, caused the flooring to buckle resulting in the court floor having a warped playing surface.

The old gym also had safety concerns due to the brick walls on each end of the court being within three feet of a brick wall.

“One of our student/athletes hit the wall at a high rate of speed and suffered a concussion,” Bludau said. “That old gym was not designed for the current day.”

Bludau said over the years, the district replaced a section of the floor, but the age of the building and the various problems led to it being demolished last year.

In its place, the district is in the process of constructing a parking lot that would accommodate the growing number of students at the high school and allow them to park in that area instead of along adjacent streets around the school. In addition, the parking lot can be used by parents or visitors and will have added disability parking spots.

With the old gym now gone, it left the school with one gym at the high school and one at the Junior High, which caused a logistical nightmare for the basketball coaches.

Bludau said currently with the two basketball courts available basketball coaches had to work out schedules to accommodate the teams at the high school and Junior High.

“Currently, between the Junior High and high school that include A, B and C teams, freshman, JV and varsity teams all of them try to workout practice schedules between them,” Bludau said. “The athletes have had to come in at six in the morning to have space for practice.”

“We’re kind of at a competition disadvantage when looking at our competing districts,” Bludau added.

Describing the proposed facility, Bludau said it would have a competition sized court for volleyball and basketball, and it would be large enough to be divided into two practice courts.

Hallettsville High School athletic director, Tommy Psencik, also spoke on the affects of losing the old gym had on basketball practice as well as other athletes at the school.

“When the old gym was condemned and torn down, it happened during COVID times,” Psencik said. “We had six teams at the high school and the coaches, because of COVID, were asked to separate from cramming 40 kids in the gym at the same time. We had three different coaches trying to have practice, that’s almost impossible in one gym.”

As a result, Psencik said the coaches would practice some in the early morning and come back again in the afternoon and evening.

Also Psencik echoed Bludau’s comment about the disadvantage the basketball teams had in preparing to compete against schools of similar size.

“Nobody does what we had to do in 3A,” Psencik said. “Most of the 3A schools have three gyms or more.”

Psencik said the Junior High having three girls and boys (A, B, and C) teams also made it hard to find room and space for all the athletes to practice.

Another factor that arose from the old gym being demolished was that it caused less storage space as well as a place for off-season athletes to go on rainy days.

In addition, when the crossover season occurs in early Spring where baseball and softball teams are looking for an indoor practice area on rainy days and basketball season still taking place, it caused problems as well.

“The new complex would provide a place to go for practice because it would have two full-sized courts under one roof,” Psencik said.

Included in the proposed bond is the hopes of constructing a multi-purpose facility in an area in the northwest section of the football stadium, near the concession stand.

“When talking to architects, representatives and leaders of this committee, and people in the community, we determined one of the most effective places to build a facility that could serve as a gym as well as a multi-purpose facility would be by the football field,” Bludau said. “The location already has ample parking area and the new facility would accommodate volleyball and basketball games, and additional stadium restrooms.”

In addition, Bludau said the covered facility would provide a place for special events such as Veteran’s Day programs, award assemblies and other events.

Also during track meets, graduation ceremonies, or other events, it could provide a place for people to take cover from inclement weather conditions as well as have an adequate dressing facility for officials, who work the games.

Currently, football officials, who work Brahma or Indian football games have a small, approximately 6 foot by 10 foot room near the home dressing room, to accommodate at least seven officials. This causes a very small environment for the officials to congregate and dress.

“I have had a lot of written letters from officials suggesting we have more space,” Psencik said. “Again during COVID, we had officials cancel because they didn’t want to be confined in the small room”

Psencik said the small officials dressing room and the teams dressing rooms have kept teams from coming here for playoff games.

Bludau said one other benefit the proposed multi-purpose facility could provide would be to be used for an emergency management area.

Psencik added to that matter that it could provide a place for people from the coastal areas to stay during a hurricane incident and would also provide a safe place for students in the event something as dreadful as an active shooter situation took place at the school.