Clements High School was approved to enter into a contract for resurfacing the gym floor at the June 13 Limestone County School Board meeting.

“You know the old adage ‘you build it, they will come’ and when you’ve got nice facilities it encourages people to want to move there and want to come to school,” Clements Principal Clint Legg said.

The contract is with Hughes Flooring Designs for $30,000 to be paid for by the girls and boys basketball teams, according to the board agenda request form.

“Most floors you know have the hardwood brown light brown tan whatever colored floor, we’re going to do a little something different there,” Legg said.

He said the gym was built back in 2000 and the floor hasn’t been completely redone since then. The significant changes come at a cost to the programs that use the gym floor which means they are now fundraising for the teams’ to be able to pay the bill.

“We need sponsors. We’ve got no problem putting their company logos on that floor to show it off,” Legg said. “It’s important that we fundraise and people support this idea.”

Girls’ basketball head coach Shane Childress said he believes they can do it, but it will be hard work. He said they’ve already reached out to over 100 businesses to try and get sponsorships and donations.

“We’re going to have to really kind of tighten our belts and come up with ways to raise money,” Childress said. “Some how, some way we’re going to have to chip away at it.”

Last season Clements got a new jumbotron that Legg said was paid for thanks to community support. and this season, Childress said he found a new sound system for the gym that’s much cheaper than they had expected. The upgrades to the gym are important both men said, because they want the students to be afforded the same opportunities that other schools that might have more funding can provide.

“We’re not an affluent community by no means but man, yeah we’ve got lots of support,” he said. “But I don’t think you ever have enough, I think there’s still people out there that’s hearing about us, especially with our girls basketball program.”

Childress said the community support of the team and their efforts to support the new gym floor will get the recognition they pay for as the basketball team continues its effort to make it back to state next season.

“Seeing what we’ve got a chance to be for the next few years and what we’ve done for girls’ basketball and how many people are going to be coming in and out of this gym, its a great advertisement to me to show that you support small communities, you’re supporting the diversity that we have here at this school, bringing the community together, and you’re supporting children that’re trying to achieve something,” Childress said.

Legg said he has seen the impact that the program’s success is having on the community.

“The gym towards the end of the season we were packed in there. It’s just a great thing to be a part of,” Legg said.

He said as an administrator he wants to continue to make improvements to the school that means so much to him.

“Its amazing to see,” he said. “I stepped into a situation different than anybody else in the county because I have to say I’m the boss of the school that I went to school at … I really care about it.

“Being from Clements and a Clements graduate I want the best for Clements. I want the best facilities, the very best,” he said. “We want the best because I think now we live in a world where the commitment it takes to be a great high school team and a high school athlete is tremendous because now we live in a world where kids don’t have to play.”

Childress said his girls are committed to their goals and last season they bought into his vision and it got them to the final game. This summer he’s getting his team to play schools in larger classifications to get them ready for their competition during the season. and even in season they play schools that are larger than Clements, which he said is what helps to bring more people into the gym.

“We’re taking a little country school and we’re competing against some of the best teams in the state no matter what division they are,” Childress said. “So there’s going to be thousands of people coming and in and out of this gym and we will take any support that we can get.”

He said they have a few fundraiser ideas in the works for the season but they really need the support now so that they will be able to install the floor this summer before school starts again and the season starts in the fall.

“If anybody has any ideas about how to raise money or if anybody wants to help us, anything is welcome and I’m a phone call away at the school,” Legg said.

He said he always has an open door policy and is appreciative of those that have helped so far but wants anyone to know they can come and talk to him about the plans and fundraising.

“Just come on and we’ll talk and we’ll figure out how to raise money because it is for our kids,” Legg said. “Clements has always been one of the greatest communities in the county and all this is strictly for our kids.”