Panama City unveils renovated A.D. Harris Gymnasium 3 years after it was destroyed by Michael
PANAMA CITY — Teamwork makes the dream work.
Panama City staff and residents came together to unveil the newly renovated A.D. Harris gymnasium three years after it was damaged during Hurricane Michael in 2018.
It was a long three years for the Glenwood community, which finally has a designated facility to host training programs, tutoring and individual sports. Approved in June, the project was funded with rental income from the Federal Emergency Management Agency, which used the A.D. Harris Learning Village for office space following Hurricane Michael.
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Community Development Director Michael Johnson said their goal was to find an alternative to the MLK Recreation Center, which also was destroyed during the hurricane.
“A lot of the kids actually don’t have anything to do as far as activity-wise, and so we wanted to make sure they had something,” Johnson said.
The renovations included expanding the gymnasium from a half-court to a full court as well as replacing the gym flooring and installing new basketball hoops, bleachers and scoreboards.
Johnson mentioned the opportunities this new court will have for players.
“We have the ability now to do some competition basketball games here and things like that,” Johnson said.
Owner of Southern Elite Sports Brent Dillard said he worked behind the scenes to offer details and suggestions on what the renovations could include and look like. He said it felt phenomenal to have a space again for students to practice sports and get together, especially after witnessing all the hardships the city faced following Michael.
“We know the challenges of the facility situation in the city, we have a lot of kids that we want to give the opportunity to play,” Dillard said. “And having a great new facility that’s been remodeled is just tremendous.”
Dillard said they will host three to four basketball games a week, with kids aged 5 to 14 years old. With this new facility, he said everyone can be accommodated based on their heights with adjustable hoops and more space.
He added that parents, caregivers and coaches will be able to watch them during their games with the new bleachers, adding to the players’ excitement.
“The families want to watch their kids play, extended families want to watch their kids play,” Dillard said. “We hope our high school and middle school coaches come support our programs because these kids are ultimately going to be under their tutelage in the future years, so it’s a great environment to have.”
Johnson said there are still some updates to come, such as concessions stands, restrooms and the city logo painted onto the court. He said their season already is packed with games, practices and multiple community events, such as the upcoming Chili Cookoff and Red Velvet Cookoff.
“I’m just really happy and excited at the fact that we’re able to utilize the building and to have some activities for the citizens that live in this community,” Johnson said.
This article originally appeared on The News Herald: Panama City unveils new A.D. Harris Gymnasium after Hurricane Michael
