“Look,” Ben Wilkerson said with excitement, “there’s dad’s name…and there, too!”
Wilkerson, of Boise, Idaho, is the son of Matt Wilkerson, a Husky basketball star a quarter-century ago. Monday afternoon Ben and his grandparents were among several dozen folks who helped cut the ribbon on the new SHHS gymnasium and take a tour of the recently completed complex.
Ben’s grandfather, Felix Wilkerson, summed up the feelings of most on the tour in one word, “Nice!”
Wilkerson should know, he coached Husky basketball for a decade and several other sports during his 23 years teaching at the high school.
“I liked the old gym, too,” Wilkerson said, walking across the shiny floor with his wife, Carolyn. “It was always considered one of the nicest gyms around. The new wrestling room is a beautiful addition. If the rest of the construction looks like this, it’s going to be very nice.”
Grandson Ben said of the gym, “It’s pretty cool…it’s big.”
The tour followed an official ribbon cutting emceed by District 55 Supt. Larry Horton.
“This project says a lot about how the community feels about education in Sweet Home,” Supt. Horton said.
He said members of the Board Oversight Committee included: Charlene Adams, Carol Babcock, Joel Keesecker, Mike Reynolds, Susan Rubideaux, Donna Short and Randy Whitfield.
SHHS Principal Pat Stineff called the new facility, “a gorgeous place…the students and staff are extremely proud. We’ll take really good care of it.”
Reed Anderson, architect from the firm gLas, presented a commemorative plaque to Board Chair Don Hopkins.
It was noted that construction was completed on time and under budget by McKenzie Construction of Eugene.
Dr. Michael Alperin, who headed up the steering committee behind the successful bond drive, said he recently returned from four months in Iraq with the Army Reserves.
“This is extraordinary,” Dr. Alperin said. “It gives me goose bumps. Events like this are what make a community. You realize how important it is to come back to.”
The new complex includes the gymnasium, new pull-out bleachers, a large activities room, large locker and training rooms for boys and girls, coaches offices and a new entry way for the pool area.