Yakima Valley College’s athletics program will benefit from two projects this academic year that will pay dividends for both student-athletes and fans.
The first, completed this November, was the installation of new bleachers in the gym to replace seating that had fallen into disrepair. The second project, scheduled for this coming spring, will be the installation of a new air conditioning system.
Athletics Director Ray Funk said adding air conditioning to Sherar has long been on his department’s wish list.
“When the outside temperatures get into the mid-90s and above, it’s been a challenge for us,” Funk said. “It’s impacted practice schedules for our teams, and it can impact other events taking place in the gym such as commencement rehearsal in June.”
The new air conditioning system, which will replace existing heat-only units with high-efficiency units that heat and cool, new fabric ductwork and a new control system, will cool the gym itself as well as coaching staff offices in Sherar.
“Having this new system will help ensure our gym is a safe and comfortable environment for practices and games, and that’s important for recruiting student-athletes to YVC,” Funk said.
TOP: New bleachers in Sherar Gymnasium showing the Yaks logo. ABOVE: Workers install new bleacher seats in the gymnasium in November.
The bleacher replacement project addressed approximately 370 seats where the seat tops were cracked or completely broken. In addition, the new bleachers display the Yaks logo when folded up.
“We want to make sure we have safe and comfortable seating for all of our fans, and these new bleachers have a more robust design with a longer expected life,” Funk said. “Being able to update our branding on the bleachers also was a great opportunity to continue making Sherar an attractive place for our players and fans.”
Together, the cost of the projects is approximately $400,000 and comes from student project reserve funds of the Associated Students of Yakima Valley College.
Story and photos by Dustin Wunderlich, director of community relations.