Hunt ISD, located in the beautiful Texas hill country, serves students kinder thru 8th grade. In 2014, the then superintendent, Dr Crystal Dockery, took the beginning steps for a large scale remodel. This would include major renovations to the gym as well as other areas of the campus. Though the work would not begin for a couple of years, we were consulted early on to see if Sport Court® gym flooring would be a suitable floor.
Hunt ISD
115 School Lane
Hunt, Tx 78024
830-238-4893
Website
“Sport Court reduced the frequency of students hurting or injuring themselves when they take a fall during sports action. Its ability to lessen the blow when taking a fall keeps the kids engaged and not scared to push themselves harder.”
The Architect
The firm of Peter W. Lewis Architect & Associates in Kerrville was retained to design the Hunt ISD remodel. Architect Gary Hatch was primary on the design. The firm has a combined 60+ years of experience, with a focus on commercial projects. This work includes the Cailloux Theater, Kerrville City Hall & Clock Tower, schools, and other civic projects. In the private sector, their projects include churches, banks, multi-family, recreational, and more.
The Builder
Hunt ISD brought on JM Lowe & Company as the general contractor. With 30+ years experience, they have done a variety of new construction and renovations. Their projects included restaurants, churches, offices, medical, multi-family, and education. Carson Conklin, the project manager and chief estimator was our main point of contact. Jeff Dulaney served as site superintendent. He was one of those rare hands-on superintendents who worked as hard or harder than all the subcontractors. Both Carson and Jeff were a pleasure to work with.
Note: In July 2021, JM Lowe & Company wrapped up their final project as the owners retired.
More Than Just a Remodel
The gym was a open air pavilion with a covered breezeway between it and the main school building. Large garage doors could be left open for airflow or closed during cold or wet weather. Galvanized wire fencing spanned the large doorways. This allowed for air flow, while keeping students contained and strangers out. There was minimal seating space on one side. The floor was thick hard unforgiving textured vinyl, commonly known as “Cushioned Vinyl”.
The project enlarged and enclosed the gym pavilion. One side was bumped out to provide ample space for aluminum bleachers. A theater stage, large storage closet, and kitchen was added on the other side. The addition of a stage and seating space, turned the gymnasium into a gymnatorium. HVAC was installed and lighting upgrades were also made. In addition to the work on the gym, the school’s entry and lobby were rebuilt and a new pavilion was added behind the gym.
Installing the Gym Floor at Hunt ISD
Dr Dockery chose Sport Court® Response high gloss Maple Select gym flooring. This floor provides lateral shock absorption to reduces player strain and injury. The old floor was a hard grey cushioned vinyl product. Prior to installing the much safer Sport Court® gym floor, coach Joseph Hennigan told us that the cushioned vinyl floor was, “Less than adequate”.
The vinyl floor was as a suitable subfloor for the Sport Court® flooring. This saved roughly $10,000 in removal costs. It also eliminated the need for rubber underlayment that is typically laid down under Sport Court® flooring. This provided additional savings in excess of $2,000. Lastly, the other benefit to leaving the old vinyl was time savings. Indeed, this knocked about a week off the construction schedule.
Our crew installed the Sport Court® high gloss athletic floor in September, 2016. Aside from minor close out items, the new gym floor was the final part of the renovation.
Hunt ISD Gym Photos
Click Image to Enlarge
Long Term Follow Up
In 2020, Marybel Walker, Hunt’s facility manager, told us the gym had been partially flooded by a plumbing leak. She then added that she had removed about a quarter of the gym floor to extract the water herself. She never called us for instructions or help. Marybel said that we had taught her how to remove pieces of flooring in 2016. So, she just took it apart, cleaned up the water, and then reassembled the floor. The whole process had just taken a day or two.
In 2022, Coach Lee Pool, who replaced Joseph Hennigan, said, “Sport Court reduced the frequency of students hurting or injuring themselves when they take a fall during sports action. Its ability to lessen the blow when taking a fall keeps the kids engaged and not scared to push themselves harder.” Coach Pool coached on Sport Court® gym flooring at both Ingram ISD and Hunt ISD. He has now moved to Kerrville ISD and teaches at Tivy High School.
