“Over the years the gymnasium floor has received damage from water leaks and other sources. We are really excited about being able to get our floor back into a really great place,” said Cindy Shook, Director of Parks and Recreation for the city of Branson. Shook was referring to the fact that the Branson RecPlex gymnasium floor was getting its first sanding and refinishing since it was originally installed in 2005.
Low Bid Accepted
At its February 12, 2019 meeting, Branson Board of Aldermen (Board) approved a contract with Central Flooring for the project. Out of the five qualified bids received, Central Flooring’s bid of $15,995.00 was the low bid. It was about $10,000.00 lower than the high bidder. Shook says that Central Flooring is a regional company, has done the last three floors at the Branson High School, and comes highly recommended.
The staff report submitted to the Board said, “Sanding and refinishing of the wood floor in the gymnasium is necessary to remove the cupping and warping of boards on the gym floor. Sanding is recommended every 10-15 years as part of regular maintenance to extend the life of” the floor.”
Gymnasium Floor Getting Refinishing on Steroids?
Shook says that the RecPlex opened in 2005. Over the last 14 years the gymnasium floor has received some spot repairs because of water damage and has become cupped and warped in a few places. “This is much more than just the normal refinishing. We are sanding and taking it down to put it into an almost new condition,” she added. “Over the life of a floor you hope to be able to do that three times. This is the first time.”
The staff report, recommending the project, pointed out that “the Branson RecPlex gymnasium is a popular facility for local leagues including volleyball, basketball and pickleball. It is also highly utilized during summer months for tournaments. In 2018, the gyms were used for 20 events and tournaments, resulting in direct visitor spending of nearly $5 million.”
The gymnasium floor receives a tremendous amount of use from local people as well as others. “On any given weekend during the youth basketball season we have up to 1,100 kids playing; and that’s just youth basketball. You can imagine the traffic the floor gets when you factor in all the basketball programs, volley ball, Pickle Ball, associated tournaments, and other uses,” Shook said.
Shook says there’s excitement about the project, not only because of what it will do to protect the floor and extend its life, but how it will look. There will be a “little bit of pain” involved because the gymnasium will have to close the floor for about three weeks. She feels that it will be worth it in the long run. It will help extend the useful life of the floor for many years and delay the even longer closure that could be involved if we didn’t do it now and had to completely replace the floor later.
Currently, the project is scheduled to start on or about March 27 and be completed by the last week in April. For more information please call the Branson RecPlex at 417-335-2368.