The original gym floor at Malabar Intermediate School — once the floor of the Malabar High School Falcons — is gone, soon to be replaced by its brighter, more colorful, more durable hardwood successor.
“The old floor has been removed, except for small areas under the collapsible bleachers,” said Bob Booth, district facilities manager, as he walked across the gym’s concrete base. “We plan to start putting the new floor down in about two weeks.”
That work will be done by The Final Floor of Sugar Grove, Ohio, under a $126,572 contract. Before it can begin, Booth said, the gym’s new heating, ventilation and air-conditioning system must be operational. That equipment is being installed by the Gardiner Service Co. of Solon, Ohio. The Gardiner contract is $159,982. “We have to have the air conditioning in operation and control the humidity before the floor can be laid securely,” Booth said.
Steam pipes which ran beneath the old floor caused buckling problems. Those pipes are no longer operational and the new floor will have a moisture barrier between it and the concrete, which the old floor did not.
The new floor will be painted in brighter and lighter shades of orange inside the three-point arc and in the key, commonly referred to as “the paint.” Two volleyball courts will be lined.
“It’s going to be a nice-looking floor,” Booth said. “And the exposed duct work in the ceiling will be painted bright orange. I think everyone will be proud of the gym when it is finished.”
Meanwhile, on the opposite end of the school, a crew from J&B Acoustical of Mansfield is continuing a $128,750 replacement of windows along the north side of the classroom wing. Last year windows were replaced along the cafeteria, offices and the south side of the classrooms on the front of the building.
“Our goal is to complete installation of the windows by the end of July, but that will depend on the weather,” said Tom Shade of J&B Acoustical’s glass and glazing division.
A lift that workers are using to reach second-story windows was based on the sidewalk Thursday, but the sidewalk extends only about half way along the north side. If rain softens the ground beside the rest of the building, plywood will be laid to support the lift. In addition to the gym and window projects, district maintenance workers have stacked furniture in the hallways while rooms are cleaned and floors waxed.
“There’s a lot of work going on, inside and out, but we’ll be ready when students return to class on August 23,” Booth said.
Source, Photo: Mansfield City Schools, Creative Commons License
