SPRINGDALE -- The City Council on Tuesday approved spending nearly $90,000 to replace a gym floor at the city's Recreation Center.
The floor was damaged when a basketball was kicked and hit a fire sprinkler head in the center's ceiling, explained Chad Wolf, director of the city's Parks and Recreation Department. The sprinkler sent water gushing down onto the floor.
The wooden floor below that sprinkler has buckled in several places, leaving the floor unplayable and staff scrambling to rework schedules to accommodate teams that use the court, he said.
Only half of the court was damaged, but the entire floor must be replaced because the wood must match in size and coloring, Wolf said.
The new floor and its installation will cost $89,950, which is expected to be reimbursed by insurance. Gym Masters Basketball Courts of Searcy was awarded the contract for the project.
Wolf noted the project could take from four to six weeks to complete.
Gym floors are replaced every few years, Wolf said. This court last was replaced two years ago, he reported.
The incident happened about 3:15 p.m. Sept. 11, a Sunday afternoon, Wolf said.
Eric Carr, the Recreation Center's maintenance supervisor, got to the building about 15 or 20 minutes after the water started spewing, and he turned off the sprinkler.
Carr estimated about 5,000 gallons of water spilled. He said a ¾-inch pipe released water for 20 to 30 minutes.
Wolf said the staff mopped and vacuumed the water but were unsure how much water seeped under the boards of the court.
Wolf noted some of the sprinklers in the facility have sprinkler head covers to avoid this type of event, but others -- including this one -- do not.
Wolf said he has bought 100 sprinkler covers at $3.40 each which his staff will install soon on other sprinkler heads without covers.
Wolf noted the damaged court was the first people come to as they enter the court area, and, thus, the most used court. The center has six courts for various sports.
Many teams make use of the courts for practice and games, he noted. Volleyball season is ending, and basketball starts in mid-December.
The court also hosted clinics and other instruction for both sports.
Springdale High School and Southwest Junior High teams are using the Recreation Center for volleyball and basketball while new gyms are built at both schools.
"And the pickle-ballers are here every day from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.," Wolf added.
The Recreation Center staff was able to move some teams to a new sport court area in the northwest corner of the Recreation Center.
Ernest Cate, city attorney, said the city could not require restitution by the person who kicked the ball.
"It was an accident," he said.
The city in late 2018 purchased the 120,000-square-foot, privately owned recreation center for $4 million. Money came from the 2018 bond fund for parks. The city has spent over $2 million on renovations.
The council voted in February to spent $176,000 to install the sport court and a rubber floor for the weights area and complete a classroom space at the center.
The recently installed court includes two basketball goals and is painted with lines for pickleball, volleyball and basketball.
The City Council in September 2021 approved $366,017 to build an elevator to bring the center into compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act. The project also included a reconfiguring of the center's front entrance.
Work on the elevator and the front entrance was completed recently.