Troy Activity Center nears completion; could be open in April

With the smell of fresh paint in the air combined with the distant sounds of hard work, the Troy Activity Center’s construction phase has entered the stretch run.

Brady Selle, Troy Schools superintendent, estimated that the new facility should be open for use sometime in April. The school district had originally hoped to see completion before the end of basketball season but various stages of construction experienced delays.

“Once we realized we weren’t going to be able to play basketball in here, we relaxed a little bit,” Selle said. “I didn’t push it quite as hard.”

The massive project required precise coordination to keep everything rolling along. Because of the nature of how everything fit together in the overall scheme of the activity center’s design, some parts of the project could not begin until others had finished.

As an example of how delays can occur, Selle said that on two occasions, materials were by accident sent to Troy, Mich. Postal abbreviations account for the error – Troy, MI compared to Troy, MT.

“We had to wait for things to get here before we could paint it,” Selle said. “The bleachers get here on Monday. So, the finish needs to dry before the bleachers go in.”

Once the bleachers are installed, the main gym area will practically be finished except for a little trim around the flooring.

The facility is beginning to look more and more like it belongs in Troy. On one end of the basketball court, “Trojans” was painted onto the floor. On the other end, “Lady Trojans” appears. The school colors maroon and white are being integrated into the color scheme.

The new facility was paid for in part by a $1.8 million bond for projects that also included a new classroom science lab and upgrades to the Troy High School auditorium. With the rising cost of building materials, the pricetag increased to nearly $2.3 million with the additional money coming from the Metal Mines fund as well as other donations.

The new gym features a 24-foot high climbing wall – paid for through donations – in one corner. Bleachers will be installed all on one side. The official scorer’s table and chairs for the athletes and coaches will be located on the opposite side.

“It’ll be so much easier for traffic,” Selle said. “The referees really had a hard time in our old gym.”

Despite the obvious challenges that were seen in the old gym, some have expressed mixed feelings about the move. For example, Troy has always been seen as a tough place to play basketball because of the facility’s tight quarters. As a result, home-court advantage oftentimes came into play.

“The mystique of the old gym will be missed,” Selle said.

The old gym will still be used for various reasons, including certain basketball practices. For example, the freshman hoops team this past season had to hit the court in the early morning hours to get in their work.

The new gym will have a seating capacity of about 500. Attendance at sporting events in the old gym got as high as 300 to 350 fans, which was seen in the final regular-season basketball games against Eureka.

Work continued this week on the front lobby area of the building.  Ticket sales and concessions will be located in the lobby. Selle said the concession area would include tables where people can eat. Food will not be allowed in the new gym.

Work also continues in the back with yet-to-be-completed plumbing work in the locker room areas. That part of the building also features facilities that will be available to the public, such as the multi-purpose room and racquetball courts. Upstairs is another large area that is currently undesignated space.