Renovations are nearly complete at the Belle Vernon gym. (Belle Vernon)
As Belle Vernon athletic director Matt Humbert gets ready to head to Bethel Park in the same position, he can look back proudly at a number of facility upgrades around the district
The final one will be complete next week
The high school gymnasium has been undergoing renovations since the end of May and is set to be ready for student-athletes next week
“I know it’s never ideal taking a facility out of the mix for summer workouts,” Humbert said. “But just like everything else, you’re going to have temporary pain for long-term gains. The coaches have been rock stars arranging the scheduling of facilities and making everything work. I know everyone is excited to be in the new gym.”
The gym will feature a brand-new floor, a top-tier playing surface for games and events. There will be new bleachers for improved comfort and a state-of-the-art scoreboard
“This is something we’ve mulled over for a while, I’d say the last two to three years,” Humbert said. “We talked about a new update, but we knew the turf at the stadium hit its 10-year mark. That became the priority, so once that was done we could move on to the gym
“We’re fortunate that we have a superintendent that’s really progressive when it comes to facility upgrades.”
Humbert said the gym is expected to be ready to use next week, but finishing touches will go on for probably another week
“August 20, we’re ready to go,” he said. “I probably went to five or six gyms to kind of get an idea of what we wanted to have in the gym and the look of it. I really took most of the inspiration from Upper St. Clair. Black bleachers, black ceiling. … I think when you dabble in Vegas gold and green, you want to make it neutral. I think the black makes it more universal
“New scoreboard, new paint scheme on the floor. I definitely wanted the block paw at center court. Those guys did a great job with the video board; it was up in two days. The paint on the walls and ceiling was also a big talking point,” he said. “The biggest precipice, though, was the bleachers. They were in bad shape and wouldn’t work. Instead of just doing those, we felt it was the best time to take care of the whole thing.”
Just a couple small details will remain to be shored up after the gym is opened up to student-athletes, like new net anchors being drilled so volleyball can set up a pair of nets for practices
“There are a couple small things, but we’ll have it opened up for the kids and teams,” Humbert said. “Our banners are coming. They’re going to look really nice. I’m really excited to see them hung up. All that stuff should be in the following week.”
Humbert said one of the biggest reasons he’s remaining at Belle Vernon for 60 days after accepting the Bethel Park job was the project’s completion
“I really wanted to be here to see this project through,” he said. “We’ve done so much with upgrades all around the district, and I’m really proud of everything we’ve done in athletics. I’m extremely proud of the athletic hallway, the trophy case. … It’s all flowing in the right direction after the last few years.”
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