New Benson Gym Opens After Delays
Benson’s brand-new gym was damaged by a water leak before the school year had even started, and there’s still work to be done.
By Nick Oates —
As part of Benson’s 3-year modernization project, the main gym originally built in 1964 was renovated, bringing it up to modern standards, and redesigning it with our new mascot, the Astros, in mind. The new gym was set to be the “crown jewel” of the school, and had been fully finished prior to the school year starting.
But on August 11th — just weeks before students could finally use the new gym — a pipe burst in the southeastern corner of the gym’s ceiling, pouring thousands of gallons of water down. The water destroyed the gym’s floor, and flooded the underground facilities. Making matters worse, the pipe burst occurred on a Sunday, when few people were monitoring the construction site, so the water leak continued for hours.
In the meantime, activities that are supposed to take place in the gym have been held elsewhere, including physical education class. “It’s been crazy, cramming a hundred and something kids into the auxiliary gym,” says Monty Catabay, a PE teacher at Benson.
Sam Glasgow, another PE teacher, says freshmen students haven’t been able to play the same games and sports that classes have in years past. “Our main priority is to be safe, and so it’s taken away a lot of the more fun activities [...] games that we can typically do with a larger space that we just can’t do, unfortunately.”
On December 6th, the first event was held in Benson’s new gym — JV and Varsity boys basketball games against South Medford, both of which Benson won. However, this event required special approval, as sprinkler systems were not working properly, and the area had not been reviewed by the fire marshall. Until that happens, P.E. classes still cannot move to the main gym.
Underneath the main gym, there are facilities which were flooded when the pipe burst, including locker rooms. “Students have been changing in team rooms and then storing their stuff in closets,” says Glasgow. “With just the sheer number of students we have, it is almost as if not more disruptive than not having the main gym.”
Strength and conditioning, an elective at Benson, hasn’t had access to its weight room underneath the gym either. Kelli Kellogg, a teacher who runs the class, says students are disappointed. “They had signed up for a weight room, which is what they thought they would have and what everyone in the district pretty much has.”
Construction workers are now determining if the electrical wiring in the flooded areas needs to be replaced in order to keep its warranty intact. Vice Principal Dan Malone, who is in charge of Benson’s modernization project, says that equipment is also beginning to be put back in the area. When asked about why repairs took time to begin, Malone answered that “If you get backed into in the parking lot of Freddy’s, who gets involved? Insurance. That’s all I need to say.”