No frills in the gym
November 21st, 2008 by 
Alica
The school board last week said no to gym seats that would have more leg room and more head clearance than standard bleachers. These fancier bleachers would have cost $30,000 more than the standard ones.
Some board members said they promised no frills when they advocated for the $23 million they needed to build the new gym, new grade school and to make improvements at the high school and Valley Springs Elementary. And they’re sticking to that promise, they say. At least one board member said that since some costs have come in under estimates, the district could spring for the nicer bleachers and still not exceed the $23 million overall.
Do you attend events in the Brandon Valley High School gym? Would you like more leg room? Would you like to be able to see over people’s heads easier? If so, is it worth $30,000 to you?
Posted in Uncategorized, BV sports, School business | 
November 21st, 2008 at 10:05 am
It is miserable to sit in the current bleachers and I am a smaller person. I can’t even begin to imagine how it is for taller individuals. Is there some way to compromise and put in some seats for taller individuals?
November 22nd, 2008 at 4:37 pm
So how much did it cost to put the BV and the Lynx picture on the west side of the building? Well we could have had some soft bigger better seating but I guess that logo is important to some people? Who made that decision and what was the cost? Just curious.
November 24th, 2008 at 10:03 am
To No. 2 and BVSD taxpayers:
The Lynx logo that is on the west side of the indoor activity center’s exterior wall was actually a gift to the school district. Paul Lundberg, the district’s business manager, confirmed that Gage Brothers (Tom Kelley) is covering the cost of the logo. The only expense to the district is $240, which covers the cost of a special paint. So, as you can see, no seating and/or comfort was lost due to the logo.
November 24th, 2008 at 1:14 pm
Both my husband and I are taller and I think the $30,000 would have been worth more leg room! It’s very uncomfortable to sit for an hour or two at an awkward position or with your knees in someone else’s back because there is no where else to put them. Kids seem to be getting taller and taller, I think it would have been wise to spend the money now instead of in 10 years realizing it doesn’t fit many people. I do applaud the board’s decision to stick with what they originally told the community “no fluff” but I don’t know if I consider this fluff - it’s almost a necessity.
November 24th, 2008 at 3:30 pm
I don’t have any children that play basketball but I still have gone to a number of games in the past. I have gone to fewer and fewer games each year. The bleachers seem to get smaller as I get older. I will probably continue to go to games in the new gym if the bleachers are roomier. Probably fewer, or no, games if they don’t get more comfortable seating.
I agree with you, #4. This doesn’t seem to be a frill. If they want to continue to get the general public (adults who don’t have kids playing) to show up for the game, they should seriously consider putting in the larger seats. Doing something right the first time is cheaper in the long run.
November 24th, 2008 at 5:33 pm
I can remember when I was young growing up in Brandon. When the football team still played their home games at the Elementary Field. Rarely did we have a seat in the bleachers, and nobody seemed to care or complain. The whole town came out to support the team, whether their kid was playing or not. I remember distinctly one night standing in the freezing cold around the old track to watch the football team play a game against Rapid City. This town used to be made up of support and togetherness. It is now becoming a bunch of whiners who seem to think that nothing is ever good enough for them. Our children need our support and it is our responsibility to provide them with the facilities to carry out education. Building the gym facility is an awesome thing for the kids in this community. The extended oppurtunities they will have because of it is something the community should be proud of. I would have to agree with Mr. Marso on his opinion of the “frills” for seating. Suck it up people and live with the decision that was made. In ten years we will need those extra seats, and how would you like to go to a game for your kid and not have a seat because some whiners needed a lazy boy to sit at a basketball game. WAKE UP. Remember, it is Thanksgiving week and we should all be thankful for the oppurtunities we have been given by living in this community. Happy Thanksgiving to all…..
November 25th, 2008 at 8:53 am
#6, I respect your opinion on this issue and you, obviously, have been in Brandon longer than I have been. I never knew they played their football games at the elementary school! But if that ‘no-frills’ facility was adequate, why did the school board build the current stadium? People could have continued to stand or bring their lawn chairs and watched the games there. I attend all of the home football games and see a number of fans who come out to support the team who don’t have children involved in football, cheerleading, or marching band. They are there to support the kids. I think that many of them would not attend the games if they were still played at the elementary school. Brandon Valley fans are very supportive; we usually have more of our fans that travel to away games than those teams have travel to our gym. What I’m saying is, we have an opportunity to make this new gym more comfortable for the fans, which I think will bring more fans to the game. I voted for the new gym, in part because the new seats were promised in the sales pitch. Brandon Valley needs everything that was passed in this bond. Larger seats included. I voted to spend up to 23 million dollars. If the bids are coming in lower, and the larger seats can be provided, then get the comfortable seats.
Lazy boy? No here has said anything about needing a lazy boy to watch basketball games from. Speaking for myself, I just want enough leg room so that I don’t have to sit sideways through the whole game so that my legs aren’t poking the person in front of me in the back.
We are fortunate to have such a dedicated group of people serving on the school board. It is not an easy job and this is a very difficult decision. Thank you, board members, for your service.
November 25th, 2008 at 10:52 am
So why can’t we find someone to spring for the extras for the seating. The better the facility, the more people that will want to come use it or attend activities here. Just like the old arena in Sioux Falls, that’s why all the good events are held in the larger ones in surrounding cities. It may cost more now but the odds of being able to make that money up are greater if we could book more events here instead of having them go to Sioux Falls.
November 25th, 2008 at 11:30 am
At last night’s school board meeting, Supt. Pappone offered the following information: The more comfortable seating would change the space on the sidelines of the two side courts in the indoor activity center. The current design allows for a 3 foot safety line around the perimeter. The extended seating would reduce that to less than 2 feet before running into a wall.
November 26th, 2008 at 9:51 am
I don’t usually comment on the blogs, but here I can add some information. The bleachers that are in the current design for the new activity center already incorporate a wider spacing than there is in our current gym. The $30,000 cost is just to make it possible to add seat backs sometime in the future, it is not the cost of the backs. The total to change the understructure AND adding seat backs to one side of the new gym is pushing $100,000.
The new bleachers will be an improvement over our current ones without changing anything, but they will not accommodate the addition of seat backs. If we made the change, we would lose 196 seats on the home side.
The newly discovered issue of the safety lane around the courts (as reported above by Jill) is a limiting factor we were not aware of when looking at the change. If we put in the wider spaced bleachers we would have to narrow the court size.
We are considering if there are alternatives, like portable seats, that could be the compromise people need.
There are legitimate arguments on both sides of this issue and I appreciate the thoughtful, respectful conversation here.
November 26th, 2008 at 9:53 am
I didn’t mean to post #10 anonymously. That just goes to show I am not practiced at responding. Sorry.
November 26th, 2008 at 10:30 am
Mr. Pappone,
Thank you for your clarification.
There are times when some blog topics degenerate into misguided opinions based on incomplete or incorrect information. When that happens, I try to find out the correct information and post it to help get comments back on track.
I’ve often thought, though, that it would be better if clarification came from the city, school, committee, organization, or whomever the main source would be for the topic in question. I’ve stated as much on the blog in the past.
So again, thank you for giving us the official status. Good luck on your search for the best bleacher configuration at the best price.
Alica P. Thiele
November 26th, 2008 at 10:41 am
Thanks Dave. I feel that we elected the school board to make the decisions. They are all smart, capable people and I trust them to do the right thing for the whole of the community. I may not agree with every decision, but I’m only one person. I think you and the board are doing a great job and I appreciate their service to our community and the job that you are doing.