Herculaneum High School debuted its new gym on Sept. 11 with a junior varsity volleyball game followed by a varsity volleyball game.
The new gymnasium cost $9,954,228 and was funded with revenue from a $13.5 million bond issue district voters approved in April 2023.
The bond issue revenue also was used to add secure entrances to Pevely Elementary School and Senn-Thomas Middle School.
Dunklin R-5 communications director Matt Lichtenstein said the school district received nothing but compliments about the gym from those who attended the opening night games.
“It’s another source of pride for our community,” he said. “We knew when we were building (the gym) we had to get it right.”
While the high school has a brand new gym, the district will continue to use the old Robinson Gym, Lichtenstein said. Before the new space was built, boys and girls sports teams had to share the practice space in the Robinson Gym, which meant students sometimes went home and then returned to the school for practice, hours after school ended. With the new gym now open, there is more than one space for teams to use.
“It opens up a lot of opportunities for us,” he said.
The new competition gym features many more modern features than the 60-year-old Robinson Gym.
Before the new gym was built, the district held the State of the County event in the Robinson Gym, and due to the outdated fixtures, there were some problems.
“(We were) trying to run some video screens, coffee warmers and a few other things, and we just literally ran out of outlets,” he said. “Our maintenance director at the time was considering buying a generator and setting it outside the gym to make sure we could power everything we needed inside the gym.”
The new facility includes a 400-foot walking track around the top of the gym, 800 seats, a large scoreboard with a video screen and an improved concession stand.
“There’s not a bad seat in the house,” Lichtenstein said. “We’ll be adding tables and a greater selection of entrees for people to eat.
“We want families to be able to come there right after work and buy dinner (while they) watch their students play.”