The Best Seats
In The House

A common problem in the spring months for much of Canada and the United States is the risk of flooding from the melting of snow and the rising of rivers and other waterways. As we are seeing particularly in Canada over the past few weeks, flooding is ravaging communities here in our neck of the woods as well as in many others.

While the priority for assistance is focused primarily on residential properties (as it should be), those working in facility operation or management also know how detrimental Acts of God such as flooding can have on their facility.

That said, flooding from natural disasters is not the only risk these operators face with regards to water damage. Leaking roofs and faulty sprinkler systems, for example, can also wreak havoc on gymnasiums if too much time passes.

Rock and roll, bell bottoms, free love and extremely heavy folding gym partitions are just a few characteristics of the 1950s, 60s and 70s. While the former are relatively unthreatening, the latter has become one of the biggest safety concerns athletic facility operators face today.

After serving the purpose of dividing a space for a number of decades, the fact that many of these antiquated systems are still in operation today pose a variety of safety risks to both operators and participants.

Designed using heavy materials and often with not enough horsepower to operate them, these outdated gym dividers have made unfavourable appearances in the media over the past two decades, having caused a number of of injuries and even some deaths.

One of our most recent projects took us to the Bay of Fundy on Canada’s East Coast to help the Boys and Girls Club, one of our favourite organizations. With locations throughout Canada and the United States, these clubs provide children and youth with life-changing programming and community-based services that aid them in developing the skills required to lead a healthy, productive life.

We have had the pleasure of working with a number of these clubs across North America and this time, we were happy to be involved with some work at the Boys and Girls Club of Saint John, New Brunswick.

As the topic of mental health continues to gain steam here in North America, schools across Canada and the United States are turning to safe rooms to help children deal with every day stress. While in some isolated cases, these rooms have come under fire because of blatant misuse by staff, the research suggests that when used properly, they are proven to calm students down in a safe and controlled manner.

While also used in a variety of other industries, schools in particular have taken notice of the advantages and importance of creating and constructing these types of spaces for their students.

It’s happening at community centres, sports fields, colleges, universities, and municipal properties across Canada and the United States. No, we aren’t talking about petty theft such as stolen cell phones and other small objects of value; we are talking about large-scale theft of valuable athletic equipment.

A project that was nearly 12 months in the making brought us back to beautiful Montreal, Quebec. Working closely with key stakeholders from the English Montreal School Board which services 41 elementary schools, 17 high schools, 7 adult education facilities, 6 vocational schools and 11 outreach schools on the island of Montreal, we were invited to a tender for some new seating.

The public tender outlined the details for four sections of prospective retractable bleacher sections for JFK High School located just north of the city’s downtown core.

Instead of the original four banks of seating that were to measure 16’ in length and have four rows of seating, our team looked at another possible solution for the school. Thinking a little outside of the box, our team went to tender instead with a proposed bid that outlined just two banks of retractable bleachers that would measure 32’ and would feature four rows of seating.

Committed to fostering a safe, supportive and stimulating environment for students, Ancaster District High School provides a variety of transitional programs and leadership opportunities for its students.

Located in what’s known as Toronto’s Golden Horseshoe, the school is located on the western fringe of the city of Hamilton, a port city located at the west end of Lake Ontario.

In addition to the school’s focus on academics, Ancaster High School also takes pride in its extensive athletic programming. Representing high school athletics as the Ancaster Royals, the school’s gymnasium serves as a hub not only for physical education but also for pride and recognition of the students’ athletic prowess.

Celebrating over 30 years of gymnasium safety, the revolutionary Aut-O-Loc safety system  has undergone a massive transformation. Since releasing the third generation of their patented technology in 2017, facility owners and operators across Canada and the United States have been taking a second look at their existing Aut-O-Locs and assessing whether or not they are in need of an update.

Honouring current, past and present women whose lives exemplified the courage, resilience and independence that ultimately shaped the American West, the National Cowgirl Museum and Hall of Fame is the only museum in the world dedicated to preserving their history.

Located in Fort Worth, Texas the museum is home to more than 4,000 artifacts and information regarding over 750 remarkable women, celebrating their decorated past and on-going contributions to American society today.

In 2015, the museum began the early stages of what would be a massive $5.5 million renovation that eventually made its way upstairs to the facility’s second floor. With much fanfare, the second floor was once again open to the public earlier this month and we were fortunate to have been involved with the redevelopment of one of the museum’s attractions.

Operating as the second largest high school athletic association in North America, the Ontario Federation of School Athletic Associations (OFSAA) is home to annual championships in sports such as basketball, hockey, cross country, curling, field hockey, tennis, skiing, badminton, volleyball, golf, gymnastics and more.

Leading up to this year’s basketball championships, our hometown team from Almonte District High School hit a small snag in their fundraising efforts and approached our team for support.

Having supported the team in the past, we gladly did what we could to make the trip to London’s Fanshawe College happen for the boys’ team. With support from our local community and from other organizations, the boys were on their way last week as the 3^rd-ranked team in the provincial tournament.