Baldwin Park High School alumni, administrators, future Braves students, District leaders, Board of Education members, and city and local officials made a lasting mark on the school’s new gymnasium when attendees signed the final structural beam during a special ceremony on Aug. 3.
The Baldwin Park High School gymnasium project, expected to be completed in Fall 2024, is one of the first projects to be funded by Measure AE. Bond Measure AE was approved by voters in 2018 and will fund the enhancement of learning facilities and the expansion of school safety and security.
“This is a momentous occasion and an incredible milestone for Baldwin Park High School, and the entire District,” Superintendent of Schools Dr. Froilan N. Mendoza said. “This gym will be a source of pride for the entire community and an incredible facility for everyone to enjoy.”
Construction of the new gym, led by HMC Architects, Balfour Beatty and Element Consulting, focuses on sustainability and high-performance architecture and will feature an exposed steel structure with a dramatic roof line.
More than 30 attendees were welcomed by BPHS Principal Eric Lopez, followed by Dr. Mendoza and members of the Board of Education, who thanked BPUSD administrators and staff, construction crews, stakeholders and community partners for helping the District reach this point in the project.
Representatives from the offices of U.S. Congresswoman Grace Napolitano, State Sen. Susan Rubio and State Assemblymember Blanca E. Rubio joined in the signing. Construction crews swiftly installed the final structural beam at the conclusion of the event.
The new facility is located on the southwest edge of the Braves campus, next to the renovated athletics stadium. Coming in at 25,000 square feet, the building will include a lobby, three full-size basketball courts, folding bleachers, a conference area and student locker rooms.
BPHS hosted a groundbreaking in July 2022 to mark the start of construction and celebrate the memories created in the original standing facility, which was constructed and opened in 1951.
This project is supervised by the Citizen’s Oversight Committee, consisting of Cruz Baca, Daniel Damian, Annalynn Apolinario, Javier Enrique Vargas, Rocio I. Rodriguez, Norma Olmos, Gen Escobosa and Santiago Mercado.
“Baldwin Park High School students deserve the very best and we cannot wait to host all of the exciting rallies, sports games and events that will be housed in the new Braves gymnasium,” Lopez said.
PHOTOS:
BPHS_Gym Project_1: Baldwin Park High School administrators sign the final structural beam for the school’s new gymnasium before watching construction crews install the beam during an Aug. 3 ceremony. Pictured from left to right: BPHS Assistant Principals Kenneth Miralles, Alyflor B. Navalta and Ana S. Richardson, and Principal Eric Lopez.
BPHS_Gym Project_2: Baldwin Park High School alumni and administrators, District leaders and Board of Education members, and city and local elected officials gather for a special ceremony on Aug. 3 for the school's gymnasium project – funded by Measure AE, which was approved by voters in 2018.