Upgrading a gym; Pacelli looking to replace 59-year-old floor
Published 11:22 am Friday, May 6, 2016
Pacelli kindergarten students play a game of tag in the Pacelli gym Wednesday. The floor, installed in 1957, needs to be replaced as already thin wood won’t allow for anymore sanding and refinishing. — Photos by Eric Johnson/photodesk@austindailyherald.com
Pacelli High School is looking to upgrade to its gym.
The school is looking to raise funds for a new gym floor and air conditioning in the gym and the auditorium. The total cost is expected to be about $250,000 and the school has raised $60,000 so far.
The initial $60,000 came in through the school’s annual benefit auction on April 23. According to Pacelli Principal Laura Marreel, the auction itself, called the fund-a-need auction, raised $57,900, falling just short of the $60,000 goal. But Scott and Carol Holtz, who had donated $1,000 initially, gave another $2,100 to complete the goal.
Construction on the gym could begin as early as this summer if the money can be raised.
“We will be looking to our alumni and donors and the greater community to fund the rest of that,” Marreel said.
The current gym floor was installed in 1957 and gets a lot of use between the Lyle-Pacelli basketball and volleyball teams, gym classes and other groups who rent out the gym.
“We’re hoping to raise the rest of the funds as soon as possible through the next year,” Marreel said. “It would be great. It would mean a lot to our sports teams. We have a few dead spots in the gym and the kids would do much better playing on a new floor. They deserve to play on a really high-quality floor.”
The Pacelli floor was last sanded and refinished six years ago but because the floor is so thin that isn’t an option now.
Pacelli has made attempts to refurbish the floor in the past as recently as six years ago when it was sanded down and refinished, but that isn’t an option this time.
“We were told we wouldn’t be able to do that again because the floor is too thin,” Marreel said.
Pacelli’s gym is unique in that it has a throw-back design with the crowd close to the action. When it reaches capacity, it can be as loud as most gyms in southern Minnesota.
“It kind of has an old school feel to it and we can pack the gym for a lot our events,” Marreel said. “It’s a lot like our community, it’s really close and supportive. That’s kind of a good representation of what Pacelli’s all about.”
Marreel said the effort to replace the floor is a reflection of the school supporters.
“I think no matter the situation that we have here I think maybe the legacy of Pacelli or family of Pacelli — they will never let anything bad happen to us,” she said. “They come through always. There isn’t a time they don’t.”
Anyone interested in donating can call Pacelli at 507-437-3278.
—Eric Johnson contributed to this report.
