In the doghouse
Bulldog Complex in Quitman set for open house
The Bulldog Complex for the Quitman School District is open for business.
A few events have already been held in the new gymnasium, but it will officially open for basketball Nov. 10 when the Quitman Bulldogs play their first home games. The Bulldogs will take on the White County Central High School Bears from Judsonia. The games will begin at 5 p.m. with the junior girls, followed by the senior girls, then the senior boys game.
“We will have an open house,” said Gary Rieck, who has been with the Quitman School District for 19 years and serves as its athletic director, transportation director and dean of students. “There will be food and cake. There will be a booth where people can sign up to join the Quitman Alumni Association.
“We will also honor donors who have helped finish this complex. We received approximately $100,000 in donations for things like the scoreboard, the scorers’ table, the bulldog painting on the wall as you enter the gym, the sculptured bulldog you see on the outside of the building, the artwork on the gym floor, the trophy case and the vanities in the girls locker room. We will recognize those donors during the senior girls game, probably around 6 p.m.”
Rieck said the two-level, 35,000-square-
foot facility will seat 1,575 people.
“Don Rowlett, who grew up in Quitman and served as the facilities coordinator, oversaw this project,” Rieck said. “He knows more about it than anybody.”
In addition to the basketball program, the complex also houses a weight room, a drama classroom and a stage.
The stage is “unique,” said Rowlett, who retired June 30 as facilities coordinator.
“The stage is very well disguised. You would never know it was there by looking at that wall,” he said.
“We put a lot of thought into it. Myself and [architect] Steve Elliott designed it. The stage is the same height as the first row of seats. You don’t have to look up to see it,” Rowlett said.
“The curtain will come down from the top. The bleachers roll out when they are needed and then fold back and recess into the wall when they are not needed. A black curtain covers the area when it is not in use,” he said. “It has real elaborate lighting and an excellent sound system, too. It even has a catwalk with multiple spotlights. With the LED lights, you can turn the stage any color you want to.
“It looked real nice at graduation.” High school graduation and a kindergarten “celebration” were the first events held in the complex last spring.
The new, spacious parking lot is “wonderful,” Rowlett said. “I don’t know how they managed before. People just parked everywhere, including on the streets.”
Moser Construction Co. of Bryant was the general contractor for the $5.3 million project with design by Lewis, Elliott and Vaden architectural firm (Lewis Architects and Engineers) of Little Rock. Rowlett said the project was funded by proceeds from the sale of second-lien bonds and not a property-tax increase.
“This was made possible because of the increase in the city’s assessments due to the gas industry. Quitman’s assets skyrocketed when they started bringing in the wells,” Rowlett said.
“I don’t think there is a nicer one in the state,” Rowlett said of the new multipurpose facility.
“It’s long been needed. We outgrew the one we were in,” he said, noting that the previous facility was built in 1966, a year after he graduated in 1965. That gym is now used for physical education.
“This is a multipurpose facility. We didn’t have a place to house the crowds. We really struggled when it came time to have the Christmas program; half the parents couldn’t get in.
“This will be used as an auditorium for many activities. Everybody will be able to be seated and be comfortable.”
Rieck said construction on the new facility began in spring 2014 and was finished by the end of May this year.
“It went up real quickly,” he said.
Rieck said there was a committee that looked at several facilities in the area as they considered what they wanted to build at Quitman.
“Ours is a little different,” he said. “For one thing, the restrooms and the concession stand are located in the lobby as you enter the building. That way, you don’t have to walk clear to the back of the building for those things.
“We will be able to host large basketball tournaments here,” Rieck said, adding that he has already scheduled three tournaments and possibly a fourth.
“I’ll miss the old gym,” Rieck said. “We had some good times in there. Now, we’ll have good times in this new gym.”