Talk about a home court advantage!
The Hornell City School District began construction this month on a competition gymnasium to replace the outdated A gym at the high school.
The new friendly confines for Red Raider winter sports squads will also serve as a state-of-the-art complex for school-wide assemblies and large community gatherings.
The gym was the centerpiece of a $30.2 million capital project overwhelmingly approved by Hornell City School District voters in December 2023.
The Red Raiders new home will have a seating capacity of approximately 1,500, about three times the capacity of the current A gym, allowing Hornell to host sectional competition for the first time.
The complex will include a new student fitness center and an elevated community-accessible walking track that will be available year-round.
The reconstructed space will be used for physical education classes and athletic teams, as well as be open to the public.
It’s scheduled to open in November 2026, just in time for the 2026-27 winter sports seasons.
The Hornell School Board launched the project at a ceremonial groundbreaking in August, with the district calling it a “new era” for the entire community.
LeChase Construction is the general contractor for the project, which remains on schedule.
A light pole for the stadium track and turf field had to be relocated before the teardown of the old gym could begin.
Demolition is now going full-tilt, according to School Superintendent Jeremy Palotti.
“They are very aggressively working on the demolition of the building. In the next few weeks, the A gymnasium as we know it will be demolished,” Palotti said.
Once the old gym is cleared away, expect to see steel begin arriving at the construction site.
“The steel will come I believe in November, and in November and December they want to hang the steel. If they are able to do that, they will work on getting it enclosed during the winter,” Palotti said.
Palotti said there is excitement and energy around the new facility as progress milestones are met, but he noted it will be three full years from voter approval of the project to its scheduled completion.
Long range planning goes back even further, Palotti said.
“I think when we start seeing the steel come up you will be able to see the gravity of the size of this. And then it is still going to be a long way from when the first steel goes up until we can start shooting hoops in there.”
Where HHS teams will compete in 2025-27
Construction is expected to be continuous, which has the district making contingency plans for the approaching school year.
The school will utilize the B gym and the outdoors for physical education classes during construction.
A student fitness center has been relocated to another space.
Some Hornell sports teams will have new home courts for 2025-26.
Both boys and girls varsity basketball will play their home games at the Alfred University McLane Center.
Varsity wrestling and modified basketball will utilize Hornell’s B gym, while girls’ volleyball will call Alfred-Almond’s gym home this season.
Palotti noted that scheduling for practices will take more juggling, but a plan will come together. He suggested Hornell will reach out to GST BOCES for the possible use of a new gym on the Wildwood campus.
Email Neal Simon at nsimon@gannett.com. To get unlimited access to the latest news, please subscribe or activate your digital account today.
This article originally appeared on The Evening Tribune: Out with the old: Hornell High School gym reconstruction is underway. See timeline, plans
Reporting by Neal Simon, Hornell Evening Tribune / The Evening Tribune
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
