DAVENPORT, Iowa — Davenport West High School is beginning major renovations to its current athletic facilities.
On July 18, school staff and city leaders broke ground near the school and the West Family YMCA.
The new construction will add 25,260 square feet, and another 19,716 square feet will be renovated. The project will cost $9,182,700, according to a press release from the district.
Davenport Community School District Superintendent TJ Schneckloth said the money came from PPEL and SAVE funds.
The projects include:
- Renovation and remodel of the competition gym
- New bleachers
- A paint and refresh of the room
- New basketball backstops
- A new volleyball and gym divider curtain
- Remodel of the West Family YMCA gym to dedicate one court to the school
- A new wrestling room with a two-mat room
- A new weight and fitness room
- New restrooms
- A new gymnasium
- 500-seat spectator bleacher seating
- Competition-sized basketball and volleyball courts
- Practice courts for basketball and volleyball
- An updated activities entrance
- New screening/fencing at technology storage areas
“For every student here at West, on the athletic side, it’s a dream come true," the athletics director, Michelle Lillis, said.
Lillis formerly served as athletic director at Rock Island High School, where she saw the impact of such renovations firsthand.
“We really needed greater opportunities that other schools had that we were lacking," she said on Davenport West's situation.
Specifically, Lillis said the extra space is much needed. For example, both boys' and girls' basketball have three teams each, making it challenging to manage six teams in one gym, she said.
Principal Cory Williams said the new facility will attract student athletes and help retain them.
“We're going to have added access for our feeder programs and for the ability to run some tournaments, and just have a lot of activities up here that we've been limited by with our space," Williams said.
Developers said the first phase of construction begins next week, and are hoping to finish the project by around July 2024.
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