Butler gets spiffy sports upgrades
A locker room upgrade completed last week is already getting used by the Golden Tornado football team.
Both the varsity and visiting locker rooms at Art Bernardi Stadium have new lockers and new flooring. The project complements a football field sporting fresh turf, plus other athletic upgrades to the Senior High School's gymnasium and the campus's baseball field.
“I think when they see they're getting some new things, hopefully that gets them energized,” said Bill Mylan, athletic director. “I'm a big believer in look good, feel good, play good.”
Money for the locker rooms came from the Golden Tornado Scholastic Foundation's corporate sponsorship program. The project cost about $90,000.
The lockers are primarily used by football, track and lacrosse athletes.
They replace old wooden lockers that couldn't be locked. The football team's booster organization is providing locks for players to use with their new equipment.
The new lockers also have attached benches for players to sit on as they tie their cleats and prepare for games.
Nate Cornibe, 17, a senior guard and defensive tackle on the football team, said his team is taking a lot of pride in the new upgrades.
“Hopefully we can show everyone we can work hard enough to deserve it,” Cornibe said.
John Reddick, president of the scholastic foundation, said he toured the new digs on Tuesday and was happy to see the improvement.
“It looks more like what you might see in a bigger, more professional locker room,” Reddick said.
Reddick said he was happy to see his organization building up athletics.
“The scholastic foundation started as a group of concerned citizens who got together to raise money to replace the bleachers at the new stadium,” he said.
“That was the genesis of the scholastic foundation. Then, they wanted to turn it to more than just sports. But we have maintained that thread throughout the entire history of the foundation.”
Mylan said the project has been on his department's wish-list for years, along with a few other projects taken care of this summer.
The football field is sporting new turf, and its paint job corrected a few fan nitpicks with the previous design.
Most notably, the inexplicably white tornado in the center of the field is now its proper gold.
“Well, we are the Golden Tornados,” Mylan said.
Turf replacement cost about $460,000.
New navy wall mats replaced old royal blue ones on the walls of the senior high gym. Holes were showing in the old one.
The baseball field used for junior varsity games should start being used for varsity games as well, as the infield has been replaced and drainage has been added to the previously flood-prone outfield. That project cost slightly over $20,000, Mylan said.
Mylan said that with updated facilities, the district will be angling to rent out the sport spaces during summer months. He's been in talks about hosting baseball league play already, he said.
“We're putting in the money so we can play, but there's potential rental revenue too,” Mylan said.
