By Mike Miazga
Correspondent
Timothy Christian School has embarked on numerous campus upgrade projects in recent times, including those pertaining to its athletic spaces.
Improvements such as the construction of a well-received weight training room, as well as renovations to all Timothy outdoor sports facilities (soccer/track stadium and baseball and softball fields) have aided the school’s athletic teams. During this huge construction project, a lot will be happening and will need to be managed closely, that is why production tracking can assist in the planning and the physical process.
All tolled, Timothy Christian Superintendent Matt Davidson said $10 million has been invested into campus improvements over the last six years.
And now comes the big one.
Timothy Christian Schools’ 21-member Board of Education has unanimously approved plans to construct a new junior high school as well as a new athletics competition arena, Davidson told the Independent.
Both the new junior high school (which will house seventh- and eighth-grade students) and athletics arena are scheduled to open in the fall of 2017. The 55,000-sq.-ft. “Project Impact” will cost about $16 million and Davidson said funding for the project is already well underway.
“In the quiet phase of our fundraising we’re already pretty far down the path,” he said. “We have some wind at our back.”
Timothy Christian recently announced a $500,000 matching gift to launch its public fundraising campaign.
Davidson stressed Timothy Christian Schools continues to carry no debt. “Our goal is to raise all this money for these buildings,” he said.
The junior high school and athletics arena will be built on the current site of the schools’ bus garage and bus parking lot, which sit between what is now the current grade school/junior high school and the high school. Davidson said Timothy will continue to operate its own bus fleet at a to-be-determined offsite location. Where an Offsite building can be erected to go with the new bus fleet area.
“That space is a bulls-eye in the center of campus,” he said. “This is going to be 21st century education. We are committed to providing our students the best learning environments possible and improving our athletic programs. We want our students when they leave our school to go out and make a difference for Jesus. It’s fundamentally who we are and what we’ve always been about.”
The athletics arena will seat 1,200 people, almost double the current capacity of Timothy’s high school gymnasium. The spacious lobby will be used for mingling during athletic competitions and will double as the lunchroom for seventh- and eighth-graders during the day. Both buildings will be housed under one roof and a sidewalk and canopy will provide a connection to the current grade school building.
“This gym will be second to none,” said Davidson.
The athletics arena also will feature unique viewing areas for games similar to a luxury suite concept seen in college and professional sports, multiple locker rooms, a full training room and added storage.
Timothy Christian Athletic Director Jack LeGrand, also the boys’ basketball coach, said the new arena will provide benefits for student-athletes well beyond game days.
“Right now space is very tight for practices,” he said. “The new arena will put us in a place to be counter-cultural to society. We’ll be able to get all our practices in and get kids home in time to be with their families for dinner. This facility is going to be top-notch. This is something we always hoped would happen and now we’re excited that it is happening.”
Davidson added: “Our athletic teams have performed at a very high level (5 Timothy Christian High School teams have qualified for state-level competitions so far this school year, he noted) and their achievements are well-deserved,” he said. “Our facilities need to match our success and we will continue to provide the tools and resources to sustain that.”
Timothy’s existing main gymnasium will remain, while the space that occupies the current junior high (located in the grade-school building) will be used in the future by the grade school for flex space and innovative models of instruction.
“The current junior high school wing will be used to open new programs for our students,” said Davidson. “We’re at capacity in the grade school and this gives us flexibility and space we desperately need. The new building also will provide the junior high with a greater sense of identity on campus.”
Davidson added the project will create improved parking and traffic flow as well as enhanced safety features on campus.
Before the construction can commence, the introduction of construction office trailers, as well as gathering the relevant materials must be done in order for the process to be carried out as safely and as professionally as possible.
Construction on the new facilities is scheduled to begin later this year.
