To Whom It May Concern,
The Boys’ Basketball Program is interested
in turning Room 125 in the middle school into our new team/locker room. I completely understand and realize that having enough
rooms for classes and students takes priority over this idea. I have spoken with several people about this project and everyone
seems to agree that updates are needed. Given that the district can work around giving up this room as a classroom, the following
are reasons why we are in need of this new facility.
1. It would be of little cost to the district.
Our booster club just needs permission from our administration and we would be financially responsible.
2. Our
program currently has major reservations about having practices after school. In fact, over the last two years, we have moved
our practices back to 3:30 to keep our players away from the middle school students. Due to the location of the "new"
team room, our high school basketball players would be isolated from the middle school students, while still allowing
after school practices.
3. Our current team room is simply too small. In fact, our players do not even have their own
lockers. They normally change in the upper locker room and then we meet before games in a very cramped team room. Our
new team room would enable us to change, meet, watch film, get medical treatment and shower all within the same area.
4.
Along with benefitting our boys’ basketball program, the room would also benefit many other programs as well. Most importantly,
within the new team room would be a new training room. The current training room is extremely small and tough to access. The
new training room would benefit nearly all sports. It would be more accessible and be larger than our current
one.
5. Our new facility would allow the physical education staff to take over our current boys’ basketball
office. Not being able to use that room has been an issue for them over the past four years.
6. Storage has been a
major issue for the sports programs using Martz Hall. This would alleviate some of that problem. In particular, the current
training room could be turned into a much needed storage area.
7. Our current Vo-tech students have shown interest
in being part of the construction of this room. They feel this would be a great opportunity to build their portfolio.
Since
the new coaching staff has taken over in 2007, we have really tried to do everything to make this one of the elite programs
in the state. Our players, coaches, parents, and boosters have put in countless hours and the results are gradually beginning
to show on the court and in the classroom. We're proud of what we’ve been able to accomplish. We're even more
proud of the kids that we have in our program. All the other points previously made are true, but the biggest reason we
want this is that our players will have something special. We're attempting to develop a first class program and we'd like
to have a first class locker room and training facility. We need something that we can call our own.
Thanks for
your time,
Dave Mullaney
Head Boys’ Basketball Coach
Pottsville Area High School
