DECATUR -- Over the past four months, Decatur High School's Peterson Gym has undergone a much-needed transformation.
Within the next month, the work will be completed and the Decatur basketball and volleyball programs will have a new and exciting home, school officials said.
The biggest change to the facility is the heat and air-conditioning unit.
In years past during the late spring and summer months, conditions in Peterson Gym were unbearable at times during days of extreme heat and little ventilation -- so much so that some events had to be moved either to the middle school gym or another venue, according to officials.
But now Peterson will be much more comfortable for sporting events, concerts and school assemblies throughout the coming school years, officials said.
Another couple changes to the gym are the new scoreboard and shot clock. The new scoreboard was shifted about 10 feet to the north of its old position on the west wall. But the one system that is new to the gym is the shot clock.
Players, coaches and fans will be able to watch this new clock, which is suspended above the backboard in its support structure.
The National Federation of State High School Associations implemented the use of the 35-second shot clock beginning with the 2022-23 basketball season. The new rule is aimed at making the game fast-paced and more exciting.
Several items are still left to complete before Peterson Gym is finished, including painting the floors in the main walkways, installing new lockers, putting exterior metal panels on the roof and doing exterior painting.
Print Headline: Gym restoration nearing completion
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