MARINE CORPS AIR STATION IWAKUNI, Japan -- The IronWorks Gym sports court is undergoing renovations which are slated to be finished by Feb. 22.
Renovations include the repair and repainting of damaged areas on the floor boards and the refurbishing of a slope which has developed on the basketball court over time.
“(The renovations) are just a part of facility maintenance,” said Alma Dickinson, IronWorks Gym health promotions director. “As the years go by, things get damaged, and we need to reinforce them or replace them as needed so that we can provide the facility for use in the future.”
Dickinson said the courts will look a lot sharper when the renovations are done, and community members will have a solid foundation to play their games on.
Scratches, dents and scruffs began to cover the courts after years of use through games and Marine Corps Community Service events.
“(The renovations were) done because it just needed to be done,” said Brian Wilson, IronWorks Gym assistant athletic director. “There was so much damage to the floor that it kind of took away from the appearance of what a basketball court should actually look like.”
The refurbishing of the floor wasn’t done in Autumn when the court closed to update it with a new ventilation system because the money wasn’t there at the time, and now that it is, the floors can be redone, Wilson said.
While the main focus of the renovations are to fix the damages done, the renovations are also meant to refurbish the courts aesthetically.
Wilson said a new design has been planned out for the floor and will give the court more of a National Basketball Association court look to it.
“The floor will be beautiful (once the renovations are complete),” said Wilson. It will be complete just in time for the youth sports basketball. They’ll probably be the first people to play on the new court.”
Plans are being made to repaint the walls at a later date as well, said Wilson.