A locked out bleacher sat in the gymnasium at Napanee District Secondary School (NDSS), condemned due to a number of safety concerns when the phone call came in. It was our friends at the Limestone District School Board and they needed a solution ahead of the new school year.
With September fast approaching, the school was busy putting the finishing touches on the facilities and desperately wanted a new seating system for the gymnasium. With a plan in place to remove the bleachers already in motion, the fear of not having anything to replace them with was beginning to set in.
Looking to really make a splash and have a product that would last for a number of years, the board knew they were looking for some sort of motorized system for the gymnasium. When we received the call, we dispatched a member of our team to visit the site and make the appropriate measurements.
Meeting with key stakeholders from both the board and NDSS, we fielded a variety of questions. Looking for something that would be long lasting, they wanted to know if additional rows could be added, if we could increase the overall length of the bleachers and whether or not they could be designed inclusively for all.
In what is now known as barrier-free seating, the board, like many others, was looking for a solution that would allow for seating for those with physical impairments as well as those without. Being a popular gymnasium outside of school and within the community, this was perhaps one of the most important factors we had to consider during the design phase.
Our team took all the necessary measurements and provided a written specification for the perfect new barrier free bleachers for this project. We thankfully ended up as the successful bidder on this project and we installed our motorized 2400 Series bleachers in the gymnasium shortly after the manufacturing process.
Today the school enjoys two beautiful banks of 10-row retractable bleachers and seating for approximately 250 fans.