Published October 23, 2019
By MARK SARDELLA
WAKEFIELD — Barely a month after the first boards of the old floor were ripped out, the Drill Hall at the Americal Civic Center has a brand-new floor.
According to Recreation Director Dan McGrath, who oversaw the project, one more coat of polyurethane will be applied today. Once that dries, the basketball hoops and backboards can be re-installed and the hall will be open and ready for use next week.
Soon after the Recreation Department moved its office into the Americal Civic Center several years ago, Director Dan McGrath became acutely aware that the flooring in the Drill Hall was in rough shape.
“We were past borrowed time,” McGrath said, adding that the risk of someone getting hurt was a constant worry as areas of the old floor were buckling, splintering and even developing “divots” in spots. Those worries are now a thing of the past.
THE NEW FLOOR at the Americal Civic Center will be ready for action next week. (Mark Sardella Photo)
McGrath said that the installation of the new floor went pretty much according to schedule.
“There were no delays,” he said. “It just takes time.” McGrath had nothing but praise for New England Sports Floors, the company that did the work. They worked fast, he said, even coming in on weekends to get the job done in a timely fashion.
“Any little concerns that we had, they address immediately,” McGrath said. “I can’t say enough about the work they’ve done.”
He pointed out that the new maple floor is a lighter color than the old floor. He said that a water-based polyurethane was chosen to avoid the yellowish tint that can result from the oil-based variety.
More importantly, the new floor is much more level than the old one, which over the years had developed noticeable dips and rises. The company laser-graded the floor to get it level, McGrath explained. Then, the same worker who did the laser-grading rode the machine to sand the floor, so he knew which areas needed extra attention.
There are also no more dead spots, McGrath observed. The old floor had some areas where the sub-floor had collapsed. Those areas have now been reinforced with plywood.
“So now it’s tight and strong, McGrath said. “If you bounce a ball, it’s going to return.”
A number of local officials worked hard behind the scenes to secure state funds for a new Civic Center floor. When he was a Town Councilor, Tony Longo suggested trying to get state funding to replace the floor.
“Tony pushed for this,” McGrath said, “as did Town Councilor Peter May.”
Longo, along with then-Chairman May, Town Administrator Stephen P. Maio and the town’s legislative delegation joined forces to secure state funding to upgrade the flooring in the drill hall of the former state armory.
But getting the state funds for the project wasn’t exactly a slam dunk. The $125,000 originally in the 2019 state budget later became a casualty of Gov. Charlie Baker’s line-item veto pen. But Reps. Paul Brodeur and Donald Wong, along with Sen. Jason Lewis and other local and state officials, pressed hard to override the Governor’s veto and got the money put back in the budget. Those funds were carried over into the current fiscal year.
“I was happy to collaborate with our state legislators and the Town Council to get this done,” Longo said. “It’s a project that will benefit thousands of people in every age group.”
According to McGrath, most days the Drill Hall is booked from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. The hall, which doubles as a gym, is used by many youth and adult sports groups. It also serves as a venue for municipal and private functions, including weddings, Chamber of Commerce meetings, Boys & Girls Club activities and fundraisers for local advocacy groups. There is an active senior pickle ball league that uses the hall throughout the year. McGrath said that it was important for the floor to be finished in time for the Wakefield Basketball Association’s intramural season that begins later this month.
The new floor features a Wakefield-centric color scheme with red and blue striping on the new basketball courts, McGrath said.
The new center court logo reflects the history of the building. When the former state armory was acquired by the town in the 1970s, it was rechristened as “The Americal Civic Center,” after the Americal Division, which fought in the Pacific during World War II and included units from Wakefield. The blue design with stars inside the circle at center court represents the shoulder insignia of the Americal Division.
“I think it fits,” McGrath said.
