Bulkley Valley Christian School is looking forward to an updated gym. After many months of planning and research, the board has given the Building & Grounds Committee the go-ahead on a gym renewal plan that will bring the following upgrades to our current gym facility:
- new Tarkett Lumaflex Elite gym floor with Omnisport surface
- new aluminum tip & roll bleachers
- repaint (and replace where necessary) all acoustical panels
- repaint cinder block walls
- pour new expanded concrete pads at exterior entrances facing the shop
We are in the process of finalizing contractors and product choices.
What kind of floor will this be?
Lumaflex Elite is a Class 5, high performing gym flooring solution that provides an unparalleled combination of deformation, performance, safety and comfort. By adding an area-elastic birch plywood sub system to a point-elastic surface, Lumaflex Elite brings your game to another level. Product information is here.
What was the process for deciding the floor type?
Our BGT (Building, Grounds, Transportation) Committee did the following work over many months:
- connected with several British Columbia suppliers of athletic floors for quotes, advice and product information
- Athletic Director James Horner, BGT Chair Greg Dykxhoorn and Dir of Adv Tom Grasmeyer travelled to Vancouver Island to visit a variety of facilities (schools, community centres) with a variety of floors. Spoke with facility operators, coaches, athletes, principals and sales representatives. Inspected floor performance, construction and wear over an intensive couple of days.
- discussed flooring process and product with those involved with Ebenezer Canadian Reformed School’s floor
- online research
- significant discussion about our facility needs and uses, facility maintenance and carrying costs, product longevity, warranties and post-sales support
Why not a wood floor?
A wood floor would be possible in our facility, and we considered this very carefully. Wood floors do have advantages. Our considerations included:
- our facility atmosphere: wood floors are sensitive to humidity and temperature changes. We can control for this, but this changes carrying costs.
- our facility use: a wood floor will require us to be fussier about shoes, rentals, floor coverings during events. Spills (such as during events) can be a problem. A floor covering would require storage.
- our facility build: unlike ECRS, our gym does not have a crawlspace. We would be installing the subfloor directly on concrete slab. It is possible to do this, but moisture can be a threat and performance can be affected. Any water leaks (pipes, roofing) now or in the future would threaten the stability of the floor.
- our facility size: our gym is too small for significant hosting of basketball games. Putting a top-of-the-line floor into a too-small facility seemed like a mismatch.
- maintenance costs: wood floors require significant investments in maintenance over their lifetime. These maintenance costs can be reduced by increasing our ‘fussiness’ (covering the floor for non-athletic events, prohibiting certain kinds of use, etc.) but this would then reduce the facility’s usability. Allowing any-and-every use means more frequent re-finishing. We believe the floor we have chosen gives us an appropriate level of robustness for our many uses (but we’ll still have to use it with care!).
A wood floor was not an impossibility, and we carefully considered it as we conversed with several other schools who do have wood floors (as well as suppliers). The floor we have chosen offers the same Class 5 floor performance as a wood floor, but with a fraction of the maintenance (we’ll have to repaint lines every X-number of years depending on use, as we would with any other floor).
While our new floor was chosen for its resilience, it is not indestructible. Our practice as a school community will need to reflect proper care and attention while using it for our many athletic, academic, community and rental purposes. We look forward to many years of excellent service from this floor.
Are the change rooms being updated?
Not as a part of this gym renewal plan. It was strongly considered, but some other planning work would need to be done before we can commit to this. Cosmetic improvements may be made as a matter of repair and maintenance.
What else is being done?
- re-painting (and where necessary replacing) the Tectum acoustical panels and the wood border below them
- repaint the cinder block walls (same colour as existing…but giving it a refreshed finish)
- pour expanded concrete pads at the two gym entrances by the shop. This is to reduce the amount of mud, sand, salt and snow that is tracked into the building when we bring in chairs and tables for events.
- new tip-and-roll bleachers
- new end-mats under the basketball nets
- miscellaneous other improvements
How is this being paid for?
This project will become part of our capital budget for the 2026/27 school year. It will be funded in a number of ways:
- our annual donor and fundraising efforts (Together Annual Campaign, golf tournament, spring fundraiser)
- some private and corporate donations have been received
- a Grant-in-Aid from the Regional District of Bulkley-Nechako (RDBN) has been secured
- The RDBN is assisting with grant-writing for other grants
- we are encouraging our BVCS community to buy grocery gift cards, the net proceeds of which will be directed to this and other projects on the capital budget
When will this project happen?
We are currently planning to commence work on June 1. This will mean that PE classes will need to happen in other spaces (primarily outdoor). We hope to have the project complete by the middle of August. Our contractors and suppliers are actively working on project plans along this timeline.
I want more information. Who do I contact?
Tom Grasmeyer 250-847-4238 during office hours or tgrasmeyer@bvcs.ca