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Kiski Area High School freshman wrestler Abrahm Taylor works out almost daily in the weight room on campus.
But using outdated, old and broken equipment isn’t optimal, he said.
“Everything is so old,” Taylor said Thursday during a lunchtime weightlifting session.
A new weight and cardio facility renovation project is set to begin this fall and is expected to be completed by April .
“It’s gonna be fun having new equipment, and more people will be in here,” Taylor said.
Taylor’s classmates agreed.
“I’m excited for new equipment and having more variety in my workouts,” fellow freshman Cooper Roscosky said. “Lots of machines are broken in here.”
Kiski Area High School health and physical education teacher Larry Enciso decided to spearhead a renovation project this fall.
“The equipment is decades old,” Enciso said. “I took a personal interest in this because I want the kids to benefit from this and be healthy.”
Enciso delivered a PowerPoint presentation on the project Sept. 27 to Kiski Area Education Foundation board members.
The board unanimously agreed to provide a donation of $172,000, enough to cover the majority of the project.
The donation is expected to be accepted during the Oct. 12 school board meeting.
A request to use $30,000 from the Athletic Capital Improvement Fund will be made during the school board agenda meeting Oct. 12, Superintendent Misty Slavic said.
If the request is approved, that will cover the remaining costs of the project.
The cardio room currently is closed because most of the equipment is broken or unsafe, Enciso said.
Numerous pieces of equipment, some dating to the 1970s and ’80s, suffer from torn cushions and seats.
In the cardio room, an outdated treadmill has a detached and broken lower belt.
Enciso estimated hundreds of students use the weight room daily.
Plans include having open weight and cardio room hours available after school for members of the Kiski Area community and staff.
During renovations, any usable gym equipment will be donated to Kiski Area Intermediate School.
“The main purpose of the Education Foundation is to give back to the Kiski Area School District. When Mr. Enciso came to me with this idea, I was very excited about it,” Slavic said.
The Kiski Area Education Foundation is a nonprofit community organization created in 2006 that raises funds for numerous scholarships awarded to Kiski Area seniors continuing their postgraduate educations.
In addition, the foundation promotes, develops and finances projects and programs for the betterment of Kiski Area students.
The project encompasses overhauling about 3,400 square feet of space.
During renovations, construction crews will coordinate with Enciso and school officials to limit the amount of disruption to students.
“The weight room will only be closed about four to five days. The kids will be offered other activities during that time,” Enciso said.
Renovation plans include battle ropes, core bags, medicine balls, Bulgarian bags, monkey bars with TRX suspension, three indoor tires, a turf area, sleds, plyometric boxes and treadmills.
“Coming out of the pandemic, this will be a huge benefit for the kids so they learn healthy habits when they’re in school and they can take it with them when they leave,” Enciso said.
Joyce Hanz is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Joyce by email at jhanz@triblive.com or via Twitter .
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