Overton County Schools considering making some major improvements to the Livingston Academy Gym, including replacement of the gym floor.
Athletic Director Lesley Riddle said the floor has had issues in the past, but only patchwork repairs have been completed. Riddle said it is time to replace the gym floor that dates back to 1976.
“You know you screen it almost every year, and you reseal almost every year, that we were down to splintering in places, and you could see nail heads in places, and it’s just in really bad shape,” Riddle said.
Riddle said she jokes about having home-court advantage by forcing the other team to areas on the court where the ball does not bounce like normal due to the condition of the court. Riddle said though the condition of the floor is not ideal, she still believes the court is safe.
“Obviously, we are practicing in there, we have PE classes in there every day,” Riddle said. “It’s not unsafe, but I just feel like we are gonna get to the point where you won’t be able to screen it and reseal it without, like I said, the splinters coming up.”
The school system is also considering replacing the bleachers in the gym. Riddle said the bleachers were also installed in 1976.
“There are no handrails on the walkways on either side of the bleachers,” Riddle said. “On the home side and the visitor side, so they are pretty unsafe. Plus the visitors side is a really tall set of bleachers. I know a lot of people who just won’t even go up there. They won’t climb those because they feel unsafe up high, especially without the handrail.”
Riddle said the maintenance team has had to perform a lot of work on the motor to make sure the bleachers can move in and out. Riddle said the school system has not promised improvements will be made, but is currently looking into it. Riddle said replacing the floor and bleachers would be a big uplift since the gym holds a lot of events for the community.