Berndes Center debuts new gym floor

     The Monticello Berndes Center looks a little brighter these days.

     The new seamless polyurethane floor has added some pop to the facility. The old floor is easily 15-20 years old, and was in need of some rehabbing.

     Despite sections of the flooring having been replaced over the years, Parks and Recreation Director Jacob Oswald said it was time to replace it all.

     Oswald recalled when he first got on board with the department was wanted to explore adding pickleball to the recreational offerings.

     “We set it up (on the gym floor) and the ball died and went flat,” he said. He said the return for the ball just wasn’t there anymore in the old flooring material.

     “How can we increase indoor programming as a facility when we can’t use the gym floor?” proposed Oswald. Despite that, he said the floor was starting to give off a bad odor due to years of collecting food and liquid with the numerous events held in the Berndes Center year round.

     So the process started to explore a new floor.

     “We didn’t know what floor was best for the use of this facility,” explained Oswald. “But any material was better than the old floor.”

     Knowing that the Berndes Center is a multi-use facility that serves Monticello and Jones County, Oswald said they needed something that could withstand large events and the annual indoor car show in February.

     The old floor was called “sport court.” It was made of small plastic tiles with a thin rubberized mat between the tile said the cement base.

     The new floor is seamless, which means it can withstand food and liquid particles better. The polyurethane layer helps with the ball return. A thicker rubberized mat is included in the floor as well.

     “It just helps firm up the floor a bit,” said Oswald.

     He said the new material “is ever better for the walkers” because it’s easier on their joints. The Berndes Center sees many walkers in the fall and winter.

     The new colored lines help differentiate between the tennis court, two volleyball courts, and three basketball courts. There is also the same exterior walking path as before.

     Should they ever need to replace an area of the new floor, Oswald said they would sand down the area in question and refinish it versus replacing the entire floor.

     “It should last up to 25 years,” he said. “This is as close to a wood floor as we can get without actually having wood.”

     Aside from pickleball, Oswald and Parks and Rec Superintendent Shannon Poe said they’d like to expand their options and offer an indoor six-on-six women’s basketball league, too.

     While the floor has been curing, the first event inside the Berndes Center to debut the new floor is a family reunion on Sept. 2. Oswald said the facility would open to the public on Monday, Sept. 3.

     “Walkers can come in at the time while we wait a week or so for large events,” warned Oswald.

     The company who installed the new floor is Anderson-Ladd out of Minneapolis, Minn. The total project cost was around $105,000 just for the flooring. Adding in the prep work and leveling of the original cement added another $10,000 or so.

     “We honestly did not know the condition of the old floor,” Oswald said until the old material was pulled up. “It was actually in pretty good shape for being poured in the ‘60s.”

     Robert Claussen of Monticello came to grind the cement floor.

     The project was completed in a little over a month, with the old floor coming up the week after the fair.

     “We blocked off a month not knowing how much work was needed,” said Oswald. “They felt we needed two weeks of cure time for heavier traffic.”

     Over the years, many organizations (Dessert Concert, School Foundation, Sacred Heart Gala) in town utilized the makeshift stage for events. Oswald said they would still like to offer the option, but don’t want to ruin the new floor. “We’re a little leery,” he said. Until a new option is available, he said they might suggest putting down plywood or extra rubber pads to lessen the stage’s impact on the floor.

     “We might look to possibly purchase a new stage,” said Oswald. “We want to find something because it does get used.”

     There might also be new rules when it comes to winter footwear on the new floor. Oswald and Poe said it might be a good idea to encourage people to bring an additional clean pair of shoes in the winter so sand and salt doesn’t get into the flooring material.