The basketball court at the Hames Center in Sitka is closed for renovations that started earlier this month.
Paige Craig, the local gym’s manager, said part of the court flooded in 2011, leaving the floor’s surface uneven. Community members were able to smooth out some of the ripples in the court, but it was a temporary fix.
“That work was done completely by volunteers in 2011, and then since then the full repairs were never made. So we’re finally looking to do that,” Craig said.
Renovations are being done by a Washington-based contractor and his son. First, they got rid of the bleachers. About a quarter of the court near the front entry will be completely removed and replaced. The rest will be sanded and refinished, and new game lines will be painted.
“The renovations itself will definitely take the full month of September, possibly a little longer, and then we need that fresh finish to dry, and that’ll take an additional couple weeks,” Craig said.
Craig doesn’t have an exact date, but said gym members can expect the court to be fully reopened in early November.
“Whether you want to play basketball or volleyball or pickleball, we just want this to be a super nice court for the community like it was originally intended to be in 1987,” she said.
Craig said the renovation will cost around $50,000. She said the restoration is long overdue, and hopes Sitkans will enjoy the improvements.
