Gov. Mifflin unveils state-of-the-art athletics facility

Dec. 3—A project six years in the making came to fruition on Saturday as the Gov. Mifflin boys and girls basketball teams played their inaugural home games at the Gov. Mifflin Athletic Community Center.

Both teams had strong victories, with the girls defeating Boyertown 56-19 and the boys beating Lebanon 66-41; both JV teams also picked up wins in what was a sweep for the Mustangs.

"It's a great day to be a Mustang," Mifflin boys coach Brian Wrobel said. "We had four games here and every one was won in the Mustang way. So it's exciting to finally get it open so that the fans can come in and see it. I'm glad we could all entertain with four Ws."

For junior Andrew Galantuomo, who made Mifflin's first basket against the Cedars on a corner 3-pointer and had a game-high 13 points, the experience of playing in the new gym has sparked both inspiration and appreciation.

"It was a great game out there and it felt great to make that first bucket in the new facility," Galantuomo said, "And even (better) to get that 4-0 sweep here.

"It's been great (utilizing the GMACC). The facility is brand new. It looks amazing. And now that we know that the school has our back with this new facility they just built, we got to have their back(s) and put it all out in the court for them."

Indeed, with the students' well-being and priorities firmly in mind, the 65,800-square foot facility includes a variety of amenities that serve many purposes.

The building features two classrooms for physical education classes; a multipurpose room with turf flooring (and nets for batting cages); an athletic training suite; locker rooms for middle school students, high school students, as well as home and away athletic teams; a wrestling room; a weight room; an indoor track; a concession stand; and a large gymnasium outfitted with four large video boards.

"Yes, it's a beautiful court for basketball, for wrestling, for volleyball, but all our athletes have the opportunity to get in the weight room and see these beautiful facilities," Gov. Mifflin assistant athletic director John Guiseppe said. "Any time you have beautiful facilities, everyone wants to gravitate. So we're giving the kids the opportunities to succeed. With that being said, success will come with that opportunity."

The plan for a state-of-the-art athletics building stemmed from the district's need to update the Mustangs' secondary education campus.

A comprehensive facility study was conducted by The Schrader Group in 2017, which determined that the cost of upgrades required to repair mechanical equipment and bring the 60-plus year buildings up to code was an estimated $40 million.

"Basically, the district realized that they were going to have to make improvements to the high school and middle school to a lot of infrastructure, which was going to cost millions of dollars," Gov. Mifflin athletic director Pat Tulley said. "At that point, the superintendent at that time decided to started looking for 'Okay, if we're going to spend this much and not be able to see anything. Where do we go to get something that we can see?' "

After much consideration by the school board, business departments, community stakeholders and architects, it was determined that the most fiscally responsible option that would have the most impact was a new building to house athletics.

As of Nov. 16, the total for the construction of the GMACC was $27,407,895 and was funded through the issuance of new debt totaling $58 million (also known as bonds) and refinancing debt, according to information provided at Saturday's festivities by the Gov. Mifflin School District.

Furthermore, because the district borrowed money, it was able to fund the project without increasing its tax millage.

"It started with getting input from all the stakeholders, from students, administration, teachers, parents, community members, everybody," Tulley said. "There was a group of people that met and then came up with ideas on what they wanted to see as far as the district and where we were going, and that's how it all started.

"From there, the architects started working on a number of different designs. And then what ended up happening was it was decided that this building was what was needed."

A plethora of ideas were brought to the table and what blossomed, in addition to the facility, was a multiple-phase process that will enhance the school district's athletic and educational departments.

Essentially, with the GMACC constructed, the spaces in which the Mustangs' athletic facilities were previously housed will be upgraded for art, music and other educational needs. The idea is to reimagine learning environments through new building layouts that include key initiatives, such as expanding performing arts spaces and a significant redesign of the middle school library.

"At one point, everything was on the table from a new high school to a new middle school," Tulley said. "This is only the second phase of a three-phase process. The third phase will take place in the high school and in the middle school where areas that are vacated by physical education and athletics will be repurposed.

"Music will get additional space at the high school. The middle school will also get additional curriculum spaces. So this is just one part of a three-phase process and this had to happen before any of that work at the high school or middle school."

In the meantime, the center is lifting the mindsets of all that use it, which was emphasized by the performances during Saturday's games. For Wrobel and girls basketball coach Mike Clark, there is a noticeable difference at practice.

"It's easier to coach and the energy is a little easier when they walk in," Wrobel said. "You don't have to push them a little harder. They're ready to go and they're excited to come to practice every day, more than before. And it's hard not to smile when you walk through the door."

"I think this great facility really helps our team," Clark said. "Practicing here is completely different. I thought it was too big for a while and then we started turning out pretty well. I got a great group of kids that are really shooting the rock and I think the facility really helps with it. The freshmen get a chance to play four years here and the seniors are upset they only get one."

Taylor Koening, one of Clark's senior players, said she and her teammates were excited to finally see the game-day atmosphere at the GMACC, and she said she believes her team's play will improve as they continue to use the gym.

"It feels really awesome," said Koening, who scored eight points Saturday. "We were all so excited. We've been practicing, and getting all the bleachers out and the music playing; we were really excited.

"The court is really big, bigger than the Intermediate School. And the lights are so bright, but since we've been practicing, we feel like we broke the rims in a little bit. So we feel like the more we're playing on it or practicing on it we will get better."

Prior to Saturday's games, a ribbon cutting ceremony took place and tours were offered to anyone looking to catch a glimpse of the building. Former Mifflin athletic director Dave McCoy, Superintendent Lisa Hess, school board President Jim Ulrich and Larry Graeff of the Patriotic Sons of America all participated at the ceremony.

Additionally, admission was free for all four games and events held on the day.

Hoping to be a glistening addition to a proud community, Saturday's opening served as a sign of the positive impact that will continue to come.

"It's a wonderful facility and it's something that the community can be proud of," Tulley said. "There's probably, throughout the day, 1,000 different kids during physical education (classes) that use it between the two schools. And then you throw in athletics after school. So it's really designed for physical education, athletics and also some community use."