The Titan Booster Club and District 225 are working to add permanent bathroom facilities and a new concession stand in the John Davis stadium, and new flooring, bleachers and basketball nets in the main gym, to be completed before the start of the next school year, according to Principal Lauren Fagel.

The concept behind this new construction project began last year, according to Fagel. She said that the main concern about making this project happen was the funding that was needed, which the well-organized Booster Club proposed to the district, according to Fagel.

“[The Booster Club] had raised enough money to say to [District 225 …] if they were able to raise a little more and if the district could contribute some we could actually make this happen,” Fagel said.

According to Athletic Director Steve Rockrohr the new bathrooms are an extension of the many new sports facilities that have come about over the past few years.

“We have improved the facilities around here [at GBS] a lot,” Rockrohr said. “[For] the stadium, we got turf in the last several years and the entranceway is really awesome so I think this is the next step. I think [having the bathrooms] will be so much better of an experience for everybody.”

Rockrohr said that a major factor for him during the planning was being able to provide the amenities to make each sporting event as professional as possible.

“The short term benefits are that we have a washroom facility [so everyone isn’t] going to the portapotties,” Rockrohr said. “Anyone who comes to visit is going in a real bathroom like they are at a real [sports] facility.”

According to Fagel, in addition to the bathrooms, the construction of a new concession stand is taking place for the stadium.

“The board recognized that they had to take [the old concession stand] away because the student population is growing,” Fagel said. “There was really a willingness of the Board of Education and the Booster Club to come together and [initiate the project].”

The main goal behind this construction is to have a better overall experience and presentation, according to Rockrohr.

“It’s good to have a real concessions stand,” Rockrohr said. “[So we don’t have to] work out of a trailer. We aren’t going to a carnival here—we are coming to GBS.”

Along with these two new facilities, construction on the main gym began during the week of May 1, according to Rockrohr. He said that the entire gym is under construction in order to install a new flooring, bleachers and basketball nets.

“The floor was the original floor and the bleachers had been there all 15 years that I have been [here] and longer than that,” Rockrohr said. “Almost no one has metal bleachers anymore, which we had, so now we are going to the plastic bleachers which are substantially more comfortable.”

The construction process was set to begin earlier in the school year but was pushed back to accommodate as many athletic meets as possible, according to Rockrohr. Although the construction posed a challenge for athletic scheduling, Rockrohr sees the benefits that the finished product could bring.

“A general upgrade [to the facility] will be a good addition,” Rockrohr said. “We aren’t changing anything around but we are taking something that was old and making it new. We find that very valuable [at GBS].”