New Gym for Eureka High School - Anticipated Completion by Fall 2019

New Gym for Eureka High School - Anticipated Completion by Fall 2019
Posted on 01/22/2018

On behalf of Eureka City Schools and our students, I would like to thank the greater Eureka community for their support of Measure S, which passed in November of 2014. The largest project of this $49.75 million bond is the building of the new gymnasium at Eureka High School.

The current gymnasium building was originally constructed in 1949-50 and is nearly 70 years old. After an extensive process, it has been determined the best approach, due to economic and seismic concerns with the existing building, is to build a new gymnasium. We are in the middle of the planning process and anticipate a project completion date of August of 2019, just in time to start the 2019-20 school year.

The design of the new gym is under the direction of Gary Mallory of FF&J Architects. Input and direction on the design has been provided to him by a team led by lifetime Eureka resident Dale Maples. This team includes community members, staff, and parents. After hours of deliberation and conversation, a floor plan of the new gym has been drafted (see pictures on our website by clicking on the Measure S handprint icon). The new gym will be approximately 35,000 square feet, close to a full acre. It will have a full-size competition basketball court and seating for 1,500 people. When the bleachers are retracted, a curtain can be dropped to divide the gym into two full-size basketball courts. The courts will also have the flexibility to be used for other sports, such as volleyball, and the many activities taught in physical education classes at Eureka High School.

Other notable features of the new gym include a dedicated weight room and an auxiliary gym. The auxiliary gym will have the flexibility to be utilized as a basketball court, wrestling room, and for volleyball, along with many other uses during the day for physical education classes. It is difficult to predict what the most popular uses of the gym will be 30 years from now. One of our goals in building the new gym is to have the most flexibility possible when using the gym for physical education classes and our competitive sports programs. The next step in this process is getting the plans approved by the Division of the State Architect in Oakland.

The location of the new gym will be the open lot on J Street between Humboldt and Trinity Streets. The new gym will connect to the science/cafeteria building with a covered walkway in preparation for our typical Humboldt County winters. Once the new gym is constructed, the existing gym will be demolished and in its place will be a new lot used for physical education classes and parking for after school events. K Street will be closed at Trinity Street and in its place will be a new bus drop off location for our students.

One of the things the District is most proud of is our ability to leverage our local Measure S dollars with a state match of nearly $4,000,000 for this project. This is a great example of working together to make our local dollars go further. Thank you again to our community, as this project would not be possible without your support!

Fred Van Vleck, Ed.D.
Superintendent, Eureka City Schools

image of new gym