High School Gym Project Getting Needed Funding

By STEVE PEOPLES Journal Staff Writer

School officials are ahead of schedule in their efforts to raise money for the renovations, collecting $200,000 already this year.

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PORTSMOUTH – When a fundraising subcommittee formed in December, school officials hoped to raise $300,000 by late spring to supplement construction costs for the new high school gymnasium.

They appear to be ahead of schedule.

The School Department has raised more than $200,000 in the past three months, according to School Committee vice chairman David Croston, who heads the fundraising subcommittee.

“We are two-thirds of the way there,” he said yesterday. “We’ve had terrific support from area organizations and individuals. It’s heartening to see this community pull together for the gymnasium.”

The School Committee last week announced another major donation from an area business — a $60,000 grant from BankNewport — a gift that matches the largest donation to date and essentially ensures the gymnasium locker rooms will be finished, according to Croston.

Facing a shortage of funds, Portsmouth school officials were forced to approve a gymnasium design last fall that did not include finished locker rooms, bleachers, or even basketball hoops. But amid sharp criticism, they vowed to launch a grassroots fundraising campaign to fill the gaps.

That appears to be happening.

The School Department recently applied for a $60,000 BankNewport community grant and learned late last week it was approved. The bank typically receives around 1,200 donation requests each year, according to president and CEO Thomas Kelly, and grants 400 of them, generally totaling about $1 million. In January, BankNewport donated $100,000 to the Aquidneck Land Trust for a major open-space purchase.

Earlier in the winter, School Committee members — using personal funds — sent donation requests to every property owner in town. Local businesses have been approached independently, Croston said.

Long-time Portsmouth business Clements’ Marketplace was the first to respond, donating $60,000 in January to the gym project. Croston hinted that more major donations from local businesses may soon follow, declining to be more specific.

Meanwhile, construction of the 27,000-square-foot facility appears to be on schedule to meet a fall completion date.

Construction crews set the steel framework for the structure late last week, giving high school students and the community a first glimpse at above-ground construction efforts. The contractor, Advanced Building Concepts, of Middletown, spent much of the winter laying the gymnasium’s foundation.

Croston said fundraising efforts would continue throughout the spring, starting with a charity gala at Ochre Court this weekend expected to generate as much as $35,000. Tickets are $100 for the Saturday night event and school officials expect around 225 people. There will also be an art auction and a “reverse auction,” where those in attendance may bid on gymnasium equipment such as shot clocks and basketball backboards.

Next month, school officials will launch a “buy-a-seat” fundraising campaign for the bleachers, Croston said, noting that the School Committee would likely abandon plans to build a staircase leading to the mezzanine level, until funding for the mezzanine — approximately $300,000 more — is secured.

speoples@projo.com / (401) 277-7459

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A worker fastens steel girders into place as the new gym at Portsmouth High School starts to take shape.

JOURNAL PHOTO / BOB THAYER

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The steel framework of the new Portsmouth High School gym takes shape.

JOURNAL PHOTO / BOB THAYER