Significant changes are taking place at the Staples Motley High School gymnasium, with completion estimated to be sometime mid-September.

A new gym floor, new restrooms, new concession area, spacious lobby area and updated windows are a few of the changes that will greet students and other visitors stepping into the gym this fall.

“We were hoping everything would be finished by Aug. 20, but that’s most likely not going to happen,” said Jim Christoffersen, Building and Grounds Supervisor for the Staples Motley School District.

Spacious, natural light, updated; and energy efficient are words that describe the changes to the gymnasium and the lobby area.

As part of the renovation project, the old restrooms have been taken out; and construction crews have been at work installing new ones.

Visitors to the gymnasium this fall will find the restrooms are at least triple the size of the old ones. “I’d say the new ladies’ room is four times bigger than it used to be,” Christoffersen said.

Russ Dahl, Staples (a 1948 graduate of Staples High School), got a preview recently of the newly expanded lobby area of the Staples Motley High School gymnasium. Comstock Construction of Fergus Falls is the general contractor for the school gym renovations project, which also includes new windows, a new gym floor and two new restrooms. Pictured above doing drywall work in the lobby area are employees of Stelters Drywall, Detroit Lakes. A wall that used to separate the concessions area from the rest of the lobby has been removed, opening up the space; and the restrooms are at least three times bigger than before. (Staples World photos by Dawn Timbs) The lobby area, as well, has been opened up significantly. Walls that used to divide the concession area from the entryway have been removed, creating an open space that runs the width of the gym.

Comstock Construction, Fergus Falls, is the general contractor for the project, with other sub-contractors hired for dry wall, electrical and plumbing work.

“We’ve used the local workforce as much as we could,” Christoffersen said, adding that paint, carpet and tile have all been provided by local vendors.

The original wood gym floor, from 1936, has been taken out and is being replaced with all new wood.

The old wood is being cut up into sections and will be sold this fall, with all proceeds going toward a protective floor covering.

In addition to overseeing the renovations at the high school, Christoffersen is the project manager of a building project at the middle school in Motley (see separate story on pg. 1b).

Other school projects keeping Christoffersen’s department busy this summer include the re-surfacing of the high school track; and soon-to-be starting renovations at the Freshwater Education building in Staples. “That entails new exterior siding; and a roofing project,” Christoffersen said of the Freshwater building.