By Tom Nader

Publisher and Editor

In just a little over two weeks, the Rootstown High School gymnasium received an upgrade in safety and design.

The school began a project to sand down and refinish the gym, which has been sanded down various other times since being constructed as part of the high school when it was built in 1966.

The need for the project became evident when school officials noticed the buckling in two different areas, as well as cupping down the middle of the floor and a large air bubble near the home bench, required attention.

It was the first time the gym floor had been sanded down and leveled since 2011.

“This project is one almost every school has to do once every 10 years,” Rootstown athletic director Keith Waesch said. “Our project was completed due to safety issues and to stay on a regular maintenance schedule.”

The new look features “R-Town” in a script font down each sideline, as well as a large block “R” at midcourt. More noticeable is the court’s new two-tone wood grain look, with a darker color finished wood marking the space inside the 3-point line. The entire court is framed in a navy blue color, with “ROOTSTOWN” outlined on one end line and “ROVERS” on the other.

While the work was done, the Rovers’ volleyball team shifted their workouts to the middle school building.

“Our kids are extremely excited to practice and play on our sanded and painted gym floor,” Waesch said. “Some of them have gotten a sneak peek of the floor from our balcony and it has created a lot of excitement. This, of course, will also benefit our physical education students, who use the floor daily during the school year, as well as our community and youth who use the gym from time to time.

“We invite the community to stop by and check out the floor during a home event or during other times when the school is open to the public,” Waesch added.