LOWER LAKE — Open for business.
The new, state-of-the-art Lower Lake High School gymnasium hosts its first game — actually, four games — Saturday when the St. Helena Saints visit the Trojans for a quadruple-header of North Central League I interlock basketball.
Yep, it”s really, really, really, really, really that time.
“It”s a go for Saturday,” Lower Lake High School athletic director and varsity boys” coach Marty Udy said on Thursday afternoon. “The lobby, gym, bathrooms all will be open.”
Players from both teams may have to dress down in the adjacent Carl Delgado facility as the final touches are still being made on the new gym”s locker rooms, but otherwise the spacious facility with a maximum capacity of 1,200 fans has been green-lighted.
Money for construction of the new gym as well as other projects in the Konocti Unified School District became available in 2004 when Southshore residents passed Measure G. Five years later the new gym is no longer a wonderful dream, but a wonderful reality, according to Udy.
“When Measure G passed I knew it was for real, but even after it had passed I would come in (to school) and say, ?Is this for sure?” “
After the euphoria of Measure G”s passage had faded, Udy said he realized it would take some time for the gym to go from idea to architect”s drawing board to the building that now graces the Lower Lake High School campus, a one-of-a-kind facility for Lake County.
“Everybody in the whole community is absolutely thrilled,” Udy said. “Years of waiting and now what seemed like a dream years ago has finally come to fruition. It”s just unbelievable.”
Today”s four-game set begins with the junior varsity girls at 3 p.m. The JV boys follow at 4:30 p.m., the varsity girls play at 6 p.m., and the varsity boys cap the evening”s schedule at 7:30 p.m.
“I”m just so happy for the kids of Lower Lake High School to have a facility that they can be so proud of,” Udy said.
Though Saturday”s four-game set isn”t the official grand opening for the gym ? that will come down the road ? Udy said he expects to see a lot of happy people in attendance.
“It”s going to be a fun day, a lot of smiling. A lot of people have worked hard to make this day happen.”
While the target date for the gym opening was supposed to be in mid-December, just in time to host the Record-Bee Hoop Classic boys” basketball tournament, that date had to be pushed back for a myriad of reasons, according to Udy. There also was a chance that the gym would open in time for the county girls” tournament, which took place New Year”s Day week, but the opening day had to be pushed back to mid-January.
“League starts Tuesday, so we”re getting in there before league starts and you can”t ask for more than that,” Udy said. “Talk about a shot in the arm. This is extra motivation for all our teams.
“We all needed something like that in our district and now we have it,” Udy said.
