New gym floor showing wear

The Whitefish High School gymnasium floor is only a year old, but already it is marked with dead spots and a prematurely dulling finish.

The school district recently met with the contractors that installed the hardwood and have been told the floor could take another year to settle. Those same contractors have agreed to honor the original warranty for the floor if the issues continue beyond the two-year installation mark.

“We’ve had concerns,” principal Kerry Drown said. “They’ve been noted and we’re waiting for the 24-month period for the settling to happen.”

Drown and project manager Dow Powell recently met with general contractor Langlas & Associates and factory representatives for the flooring about the concerns. Langlas also brought in an independent gymnasium floor inspector to issue a report.

Trustee Dave Fern said there is some concerns about whether the proper finish was placed on the floor when it was installed and that could have caused it to dull.

“We’ll keep monitoring the floor and a new finish will be put on the floor,” he said. “The district won’t pay for the new finish. That will come from the contractors who installed the floor.”

The entire gymnasium was remodeled early last summer. New bleachers, basketball hoops, acoustical panels and speakers were installed in addition to the new floor.

The entire gym renovation cost about $850,000. The high school received a state Quality Schools Grant to replace the floor and install new bleachers.