Messenger photo by Britt Kudla: The St. Edmond gymnasium recently went through a renovation project to the basketball court. A $300,000 donor-funded project included a full replacement of both the main court and subfloor, an upgraded for all six backboards and rims, a new sound system and scorer’s table, a vinyl wrap and new flooring for the press box area and much more.

When the St. Edmond basketball teams took the court last Friday night, the traditional atmosphere of a long-awaited home opener wasn’t the only reason for excitement and anticipation.

A renovation project months in the making — with years of planning and discussion — had finally reached its completion point, as the school unveiled much more than just a fresh coat of paint after nearly 70 years of events in the Gael gym.

“It really was a total team effort,” St. Edmond athletic and activities director David Flattery said. “We are very thankful for how active the community and our Gael family became in bringing this all together.

“It started with the floor, but so many people got behind what we were doing that we were able to take things to a whole new level. The necessities were taken care of first, but we were also able to have a lot of fun with this. We were able to bring everything to fruition.”

The $300,000 donor-funded project included a full replacement of both the main court and subfloor, an upgrade for all six basketball backboards and rims, a new sound system and scorer’s table, a vinyl wrap and new flooring for the press box area, a whitewashing and repainting of all walls, a restructuring of the bleachers, and an update and reorganization of the championship banners.

Dead spots in the floor, which had been both an ongoing and growing issue for years, got the ball rolling. Talks of replacement cost and how to properly finance the plan followed — especially when the school was told the original floor could no longer be sanded down and refinished for maximum use moving forward.

“We did a deep dive into the floor history and how long it had been around,” said Flattery, a 2013 SEHS graduate. “As far as we could tell, it was potentially original to the gym (St. Edmond opened in 1955). From the conversations we’d had, that meant it had far exceeded the typical lifespan of a court.

“(Basketball) Coaches (Adolph) Kochendorfer and (C.J.) Tracy and (physical education instructor) Mr. (Rod) Riessen could really attest to the shape the floor was in. It was definitely time.”

The school decided to sell pieces of the old floor as mementos to help support the project. Larry Sheker, a 1957 St. Edmond graduate, conceptualized the idea, while 1982 grad Pat Leiting helped to form the team that helped see the fundraiser through. The response was “incredibly exciting,” according to Flattery, and “helped fast-track everything to get done (this past) summer.”

“We collected stories to market memories that took place on the old gym floor, and started a campaign to raise funds through floor purchases and other monetary donations,” said St. Edmond director of development Susan Laufersweiler.

The removal process came first. Fortunately for the school, a number of area businesses and volunteers stepped up to help. Workers from Crimmins Welding, Dale’s Petroleum, Community Orchard, the McCarvilles at Advanced Financial Solutions, Mitch Lunn State Farm, and firefighter Tom Ubben put in the bulk of the sweat equity.

“They gave up so much (professional) time and saved us $26,000 by doing the work themselves,” Laufersweiler said. “We were definitely blessed to have so many people donate funding or labor to make this project successful.”

Fourteen different businesses, couples or families were classified as “Diamond Gael” givers, led by 1971 St. Edmond graduates Keith and Linda (Keigher) Dencklau. Bianchi Heating and Cooling, Dave and Mike Bianchi and family, the Bocken family, Sam and Lizzy Condon, Denny and Maureen Crimmins, John and Amanda Engler, Pat and Jennifer Leiting, Justin and Natalie Madsen, Rick and Pam (Cooper) McCarville, Connor Mulholland, Neven and Jill Mulholland, Lucas and Shelley Peed, and Dale’s Petroleum Service were the other primary donors listed.

“Gold Gael” level families, individuals or businesses included Baker Electric, Zak and Sharon Clark, Mark and Nancy Crimmins, Tim and Tori Flattery, Jim and Marty Lentsch, Richard and Joan Stark, and Kirk and Mary Yung.

“Silver Gael” donors included Dan Dowd, David and Debbie Flattery, Jon and Liz Flattery, the family of Maurice and Denise Flattery, Michael and Christina Flattery, Mark and Susan Laufersweiler, Mitch and Jamie Lunn, Monsignor Kevin McCoy, Shari McGough, Mark and Ann (Kearney) Wiedenfeld, Katie Lunn (memoriam), Doug McGough (memoriam), Phyllis and Bob Savage (memoriam), and the 2004 Gael boys basketball team.

“Bronze Gael” contributors were Luke and Jenny Becker and family, the Brownlee family, Nick Clark, Tom and Jane Condon, Ben and Jenn Crimmins, Mike and Marissa Crimmins, Tim and Susan Doyle and family, Dr. Nick and Pam Drzycimski, Mike and Helaine Engler, J. Mick Flaherty, Neil and Brooke Flattery, Andy and Kathryn Lang, Dr. Mark and Rae Anne Marner, Craig and Jamie Schlienz, Wally and Nadine Schlienz, Ann Berner Sexton, Anton and Alyssa Stanek, Tanner Utley, Brian and Kim Whitmore, Eileen Yung, John and Ellen Flattery (memoriam) and CJ Bio America.

The new court design “was the fun part,” Flattery added.

“We had a committee going and people bringing different ideas to the table,” Flattery said. “We took some options from college and NBA floors and combined the looks.

“We wanted a nice, simple design that was also original to us.”

Flattery is excited for the community to see the finished product in the days and weeks to come.

“A lot of planning, organizing and hard work went into this from so many facets of our school and community – both past and present,” Flattery said. “A lot of people had a say and a stake in this, and we greatly appreciate their efforts.

“It’s a project we can all be very proud of.”