Sequoia gym damage has a bigger impact than first thought

Not only was the floor itself ruined, Schmidt said about a half-inch of standing water was found in the sub-floor, adding significantly to the damage done and the cost of repair.

Schmidt said demolition work has already started and she was expecting to know more in the coming days. The resulting damage has thrown into question when the floor can be repaired in time to play some basketball games this upcoming season. Schmidt is already resigned to the fact volleyball will be impacted in the fall.

“I do not have a timeline, as of yet,” Schmidt said.” I would be really happy if we got to play some basketball in there. As of right now, I’m working on major contingency plans.”

As you move from a micro to a macro view of the impact of the destroyed gym floor, the bigger the impact — not only to the high school community, but the overall Redwood City community, at large. Despite the school still having the original main gym, which is now called Gym 2, and the original auxiliary gym, now Gym 3, those facilities are not up to snuff and would not be the best option, Schmidt said.

On top of that, those other campus gyms are already heavily used, so Schmidt anticipates having to find alternatives, which may mean moving some practices and games off campus.

“In terms of size, [Gym 2 is] acceptable to play games. … But the problem is, it has only three rows of bleachers and the floor is pretty slick. We can’t host a quad in Gym 2 with only three rows of bleachers… Games won’t be played in Gym 3,” Schmidt said. “Those (two other gyms) are used extensively (already), in addition to the main gym. Even with three gyms, our gyms are full all winter. … We didn’t have a bunch of empty gym space before.

“Either someone is going off campus or practicing at not an ideal time.”

Schmidt said a pump on the school pool broke during this past swim season. For about three weeks, she said the Sequoia swim team practiced at Carlmont — at 7:30 in the morning.

Therein lies the other issue — finding alternative space. All the facilities at other high schools in the Sequoia Union High School District are in similar situations. Those schools don’t have time or space to accommodate another team either. In the past, Schmidt said she worked with the Redwood City Parks and Recreation Department to use the gym at Red Morton Park — which affected the programs going on there.

The Sequoia gym replacement is having a domino effect on other facilities on and off campus.

“I don’t think there is a single gym in this area that is empty at 4:30 (p.m..) during the week,” Schmidt said. “I’m also super involved with youth sports. … The youth center is super packed, the rec league is impacted (by the lack of space). … There are so many (community) programs and just not enough space.”

So far, it’s only Sequoia athletics that have been impacted. But the Sequoia gym is used for more than just practices and games. Schmidt said one of the school’s clubs hosts a big dinner gala in the Main Gym. It is also the facility used for student assemblies and rallies, as well as a testing site.

Ultimately, the flooded floor is affecting so much more than just athletics at Sequoia. As such, Schmidt wants to get the work done as fast as possible. The good news is that there are companies available to tackle the job right now. Schmidt said because schools try to schedule construction during the summer months to limit impact on classroom time, companies that deal with this type of construction are swamped.

Because most summer work has wrapped up, Schmidt said there more companies available to take on the job immediately.

The bad news, however, is getting the necessary supplies and materials are still an issue as supply-chain problems continue to plague all aspects of construction.

“I don’t know how long [the repairs are] going to last,” Schmidt said. “If it’s a three-month thing, it’ll be a blip. But if it drags on, more and more, things will be impacted.”

***

Tuesday night, we made the agonizing decision to put down one of our cats. He was diagnosed with pancreatitis and was simply not responding to treatment. After nine days of treatment and non-stop worry, we came to the decision the best course of action was to send “Fat Cat” over the rainbow bridge.

Fat Cat was a beautiful, long hair who got his name because of his constant eating and heavy coat.

I know this is not sports related, but I will put it the sports realm by quoting Steph Curry after winning his fourth NBA title with the Golden State Warriors.

“This one hits different.”

Over the last 24 years, we’ve owned seven cats. Four lived to ripe old ages, into their 20s, who were put to sleep simply because their bodies were shutting down. One simply disappeared. We’re also on dog No. 4 over that time span, as well.

Fat Cat, however, was only about a year old. We had him for less than a year, adopting him last September at eight weeks old. Everything was fine, until they weren’t.

We still have Fat Cat’s brother, Trouble, who was adopted at the same time. He’s a cool cat in his own right, but Trouble is much more independent and would prefer to be outside. Fat Cat, however, was the antithesis. While he was also an indoor-outdoor cat, Fat Cat was much more loving and sought attention — even though he was the most skittish cat we’ve ever owned.

So while we will have Trouble to remind us of Fat Cat, it is still a difficult time in the Mollat household.

Rest in peace Fat Cat and say hello to the rest of the Mollat clan in pet heaven.

Nathan Mollat can be reached by email: nathan@smdailyjournal.com or by phone: 344-5200 ext. 117. To report scores or tips, email sports@smdailyjournal.com.