Edward Medina Gymnasium at Española Valley High School will get an upgrade and a repair in the offseason, with the new floor having flames painted on at both ends and a stain at center court.
The Española School Board approved $7,259 in spending to add improvements to the floor during a June 16 meeting.
The gym was damaged in a fire in November 2021, and about six weeks later was patched up for the remainder of the season, with no logo at center court and uneven paint on the floor, along with score kept on a sideline temporary video board and temporary speakers providing sound.
According to board documents, the insurance policy will cover the cost of repairing the floor to the state it was previously in, but the school district will cover the cost of new designs.
The cost of the gym floor refinishing came out to $48,398.34 from Stout Hardwood Floor Co. in Las Cruces. The cost includes finishing for the gym floor, border paint, practice courts, and various logos around the floor, as well as reimbursing mileage for three round trips.
The new designs include outlines of flames along the ends of the court under each basket. At the center of the court, the pitchfork is a new logo from what was there earlier, and there will also be a stencil outline of Española’s EV logo behind it.
Athletic director Matt Abeyta wrote in a text message that the renovation is scheduled to begin June 27. Spending will come from the district’s capital outlay funds.