FARMINGTON — Mt. Blue High School Athletic Director Todd Demmons said whatever facility he recommends to the school board regarding the home game basketball court, it will be based on student athletes’ safety.

Demmons will make a recommendation to the Mt. Blue Regional School District board at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 25, in the board meeting room at Mt. Blue Middle School.

He said he and others will do the best they can with the board’s decision to make it work.

The high school basketball teams are without a home court this year due to a delay in the construction of the new gym. The high school is in the midst of a $64 million renovation and addition project. The gym was expected to be ready in November. Construction delays and a construction accident where nine of 14 tresses and support beam collapsed in the gym in September set completion back.

Several options have been explored, Demmons said. He is still looking into new suggestions that people are making including the former Bass building on Weld Road in Wilton.

The Mt. Blue High School gym had the capacity to seat 850 to 900 people.

“We never had to turn anyone away,” Demmons said.

Student athletes have spoken in favor of using the gym at the Academy Hill School in Wilton instead of traveling to Livermore Falls High School in Livermore Falls. Those are two front-running options being considered.

Basketball players will be holding practices around the district, he said.

Demmons said he understands students’ and parents’ concerns over the situation. He is not happy either, he said.

He also doesn’t like the idea of having to turn away spectators who will travel to games and then find there is no room for them to see the games, he said.

Demmons made a chart of facility options and made notes on each place.

The Academy Hill School currently has the capacity to seat 250 but could be boosted to 450 if a structural engineer determines that the stage area could hold bleachers. If the stage is approved, they would still need the approval to buy the new bleachers at a cost of between $15,600 to $19,600. The bleachers would need to be installed along with the scoreboards, which are in storage.

The gym at the Spruce Mountain High School South Campus in Livermore Falls (formerly Livermore Falls High School) has the seating capacity of 850, according to Demmons’ chart. The site has adequate parking and there is a concession area that is available. Spruce Mountain High School games will be played at the North Campus in Jay (formerly Jay High School.)

Mt. Blue teams, and or spectators, would need to be bused at $100 per bus each game. Busing the teams would cost $1,600.

Demmons said there will be some money available to cover some busing costs because of delayed construction.

Other options he charted were the Dearborn Gymnasium at the University of Maine at Farmington. It has a capacity for seating 400 people, limited parking and no existing concessions. The teams would have to work around UMF’s schedule and it would have to be approved by the National Collegiate Athletic Association. Concessions would be temporary, needed to be set up and taken down each game.

The Mt. Blue Middle School in Farmington has a capacity of seating 400 people, adequate parking and no existing concessions, Demmons noted.

The high school teams would have to work around the middle school schedule. The gym’s layout is not ideal with one wall very close to the court and an exposed water fountain at the end that needs to be covered during games. Concessions would also have to be set up and taken down each game.

The Farmington Community Center has the seating capacity of 360 people. Demmons noted that capacity and parking is limited there. Concessions would be temporary. The teams would have to work around activities and scheduled recreation events at the center, he wrote. There would also be a cost involved of about $16 an hour.

Note: The article has been modified to reflect the correct potential capacity at Academy Hill School in Wilton if a structural engineering company approves the stage to hold bleachers. It was also changed to include the correct cost involved in use of Farmington Community Center. 

dperry@sunjournal.com