In fall 2024, Red Hook residents approved a capital project proposition that included renovating Jack Lewis Memorial Gymnasium at Red Hook High School. The work was the first major update to the gym since the building’s opening roughly 60 years earlier. The floor had been repaired dozens of times in that span. The bleachers were long ago grandfathered into compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, but were not accessible.
The renovation not only replaced the floor and bleachers, but repainted the space. A knee wall, where formerly there was a stage, was also removed and a new “Red Zone” student section sponsored by the Sports Club now stands in its place.
Athletic Director Tom Cassata called the renovation project “a dream of mine since I started here.” At an official ribbon-cutting ceremony, both Cassata and Superintendent of Schools Dr. Janet Warden thanked various members of the district community for their contributions, as well as the larger Red Hook community for supporting the project. Warden also directly addressed the students sitting in that new “Red Zone” section.
“We hope this new space enhances your physical education program and supports the attributes of our Raider Profile, that we are committed to our students’ physical and emotional health,” she said. “Most importantly, we hope that students find this gym welcoming and supports the goals, teamwork and our sense of belonging.”
In all, the proposition approved by residents was a $7.835 million plan to renovate the gym, install LED lighting at the high school and Mill Road Elementary School, improve and expand the airconditioning at Mill Road, repair the front columns at Linden Avenue Middle School, bolster the boiler system at LAMS, and expand ease of access to the lockdown systems in each school. The gymnasium portion of the work ended up costing roughly $825,000.
