Spectators in the LHS gymnasium have watched games more comfortably with the installation of the second set of bleachers. In 2016, the high school received its first set of replacement bleachers since the building was originally constructed in 1969. Due to their age, the 50-plus-year-old bleachers began to have some major issues, including being out of alignment, causing a health hazard to the people manually pulling the bleachers in or out, the width of the steps, and no longer following safety codes. The gaps between the steps were a big issue. Individuals could fall through or drop items onto the floor below and children could access underneath. 

Replacements had been planned for years but became a reality in the summer of 2016. Our own LHS ROTC organization took on the task of removing the old bleachers so work could begin. Outlets were found to salvage as much as possible of the old equipment. “We got a lot of good use out of them,” said then Principal, Kelly Nusser.

The Tuesday after Memorial Day, 2016 large trucks rolled in and supplies and the bleachers were placed on the gymnasium floor. “We wanted them to start as soon as school was out,” said Nusser.  Kansas Contract Design had the winning bid and was responsible for all construction of their Hussey brand bleachers. Tens of thousands of nuts and bolts stretched from one end of the court to the other. The goal was to be done by August however work was completed by June 30th, 2016.

Design of the bleachers was a team effort by Kelly Nusser, then Athletic Director Derek Carlson, and Superintendent Bill Day. “We tried to incorporate ideas from other towns and make them our own. To make them fit what we needed.” Maximum seating in the gymnasium is now 1861. This is lower than the old seating of 2250, but other features compensate for the numbers. Nusser said, “I’ve been around a while, there were several things that we wanted.” The bleachers are more comfortable and safer for our spectators with features including wider aisles, handrails, and shorter steps.

The height of the bleachers and viewing the game were also taken into consideration.

“I wanted it so people wouldn’t have to look around the head of someone head in front of them.  It is not like you are looking up at the game but looking down,” said Kelly Nusser

The home or west side of the gymnasium features back rails on the upper and lower sections of seats except for the north end, which is reserved for students and the pep band. A recoverable handicap area is located at mid-court. The first row of seating was set back to give more room in the aisles.

The bleachers are completely enclosed with the ends blocked to prevent children from running or playing under them, which was a safety issue. “There won’t be a reason to go underneath because it won’t be possible to drop things under the bleachers,” said Day.  A new press and scoring area were updated along with special tables for individual team scorekeepers. The video box on the home side was retained along with the addition of a video box on the visitor’s side.

Parking is available on the east side of the high school building and a concession area is available in the cafeteria located just inside to the right of the front doors. Two large screens will be playing the games in the concession area, so spectators will not miss any of the action. The gymnasium is a short distance farther into the building.