Hardwood Flooring, Made With White Lake, Wisconsin Timber, Going Down In New Gym

Hardwood harvested last fall from landowners in and around White Lake has found new life as the school’s new recreation center gymnasium floor.

Crews this week have completed laying the hard maple boards, milled at Robbins Flooring of White Lake, that will be the centerpiece of the expansive new gymnasium.

According to Doc Smith, the project manager, the wood was graded as No. 2 maple by Robbins, based on the number of knots, but “it would be considered No. 1 by most companies.”

“It’s a very nice floor, very pretty,” Smith said. “I’m very pleased with everything.”

The installation of the floor comes near the completion of the $3.5 million project, funded largely through a successful $3 million referendum in November.

Following that vote, people in the community—including some who admitted voted against the plan—came together in a project that had landowners donating the logs that would be used in the facility. Ninety cords was collected, enough to offset the costs to create a college level flooring system in the school gymnasium.

Smith said that the next step will be to finish the floor on the north and south sides of the gymnasium, a necessary step so that bleachers can be installed the week of Oct. 8.

Finishing and striping the entire sports floor will follow, a project that should take about a week. Other work remaining includes installing the epoxy flooring in the locker rooms.

Smith said the fast-track project will be basically complete, with contractors going over the punchlist, the week of Oct. 22.

Cathy Lundgren, White Lake school’s technology coordinator, took this photo as the installation of the new gymnasium floor got underway.