Sugar Valley Rural Charter School Breaks Ground for Gymnasium

LOGANTON, PA – Thursday was a special day for the Sugar Valley Rural Charter School. Ground was broken for a new gymnasium building, as SVRCS CEO Tracie Kennedy described, “a dream for everyone involved.”

Due to the coronavirus, the ground-breaking was done virtually at the site, located just to the east of the current school complex. Mrs. Kennedy gave a brief history on the project and Blaine Falk, a senior and member of the SVRCS student leadership team, turned the first shovelful of dirt. Mrs. Kennedy said construction should begin next week, with a completion date around the start of the school year next September.

Lobar, Inc. from Dillsburg is the general contractor, Hoffman Leakey Architects from State College the project architect.

Mrs. Kennedy said the gym building had been “wanted for a very long time” but the initial emphasis for school developers had been for additional classrooms. She said the school had grown to the point where plans for the gym could proceed. She said the new structure is the first done by the school itself, previous buildings through the work of the Sugar Valley Concerned Citizens, a community group responsible for the creation of the 20-year-old charter school. Land for the building had been purchased in 2017.

The gym building will contain a 21,160 square foot gymnasium with bleachers for 560 and a stage at one end; a physical fitness room for weight and cardio training; a student locker-room; concession area; office; and an adjacent parking lot.

Mrs. Kennedy said the construction project will also provide a learning opportunity for students in the trades program at the school.

Lacking a gym, Phoenix sports teams, including volleyball and wrestling, have been forced to play their events on the road.