Dear Seth Boyden Community,
I’d like to update you on the upper and lower gymnasium situation. I understand and appreciate the concern that has been shared about our students having Physical Education classes in their classrooms. I fully support movement and exercise during the school day and feel that they are fundamental to the overall academic, social, and emotional health of our students.
In late August the floors in the lower gymnasium showed signs of buckling around the perimeter. The facilities department was made aware, and arrangements were made for the repairs to begin. A few days later, there were a few small areas of buckling in the court section of the upper gymnasium. Again, arrangements for repair were made by the facilities department. The original timeline for the repairs to be made was one week for the upper gymnasium and one month for the lower gymnasium. Both of the issues have been linked to water drainage and foundation issues due to the age of the building. While repairs had been started, we continued to experience many more days of rain resulting in the buckling becoming more pronounced in the lower gymnasium. There were many efforts to ascertain how best to correct the issue and ensure that it did not reoccur the very next time it rained.
I received word today that contractors are coming to repair the upper gymnasium floor tomorrow, Thursday, September 27th. The expectation is that the floor will be fixed over the next day or two so that we can have use of the upper gymnasium by Monday, October 1st. The lower gymnasium presents a larger problem as we also have water leaking into the lower basement prohibiting use of the entire level.
We do not have a timeline for the repair of the lower gymnasium. In the interim, the physical education teachers and building administration are working on a plan to utilize field space in the back of the building and having joint classes in the upper gymnasium when possible.
Thank you again for your advocacy for our students and your patience as we work to ensure that they have the best educational experience available.
In partnership,
Mrs. Glander