By BARBARA GREEN
editor@bowienewsonline.com
Last week the foundation was poured for the new 22,000 square foot gym at Nocona High School and corner stakes were placed for the career technology building next to it, moving forward with the first two phases of the $19 million bond project.
While ground was broken in mid-October for the 1,200-seat competition gym set just behind the high school, dirt work and plumbing don’t often show the scope of the project like a new foundation. Nocona Independent School District Superintendent Dr. David Water said as of April 1 the entire foundation had been poured and now they have to wait a little more than two weeks for it to cure.
The morning of April 3 the foundation looked more like a lake than a gym as heavy rainfall covered the pour, which is slightly lower on the gym side to provide space for the wooden gym floor. Waters said as soon as all the steel is on site the structure will start going up.
“We had two separate vendors providing steel and we have some it here already. You can see the stub-out of the plumbing , so you can tell where the locker rooms and concession stand are, even the center court scoring table. This year has been exciting in athletics and it’s hard to contain the excitement as everyone wants it ready tomorrow.

Top photo – The foundation for the new competition gymnasium for Nocona High School was poured last week and while parts of it look like a lake after the rainfall, the pour is curing and will soon be ready for steel to be hung for the facility. The gym is phase one of a multi-phase program funded by a $19 million bond approved in fall 2023. (News photos by Barbara Green0

Read the full story in the Thursday Bowie News.