Whitman Donates Old Gym Floor: Habitat for Humanity To Benefit from Contribution
WALLA WALLA, Wash.-- Habitat for Humanity volunteers will work Saturday, May 15, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. to finish removing the hard wood floor from the gym in Sherwood Center, on the Whitman College campus.
The college, which is in the process of remodeling the athletic center on the corner of Park and Boyer, has donated the approximately 10,000 square feet of hard rock maple flooring to Habitat for Humanity, according to Bob Withycombe, Whitman professor of rhetoric and long-time Habitat volunteer. “This wood, which has been sanded only once in the past 30 years, is the best wood of its kind available,” he said, “and as far as I know, you can’t even buy wood like this anymore from a new supplier. We will be selling portions in just about any size lot, with all proceeds going to Habitat for our next home project.” The wood will not be used in a Habitat home because of the specialized skill it would take to install it, he added. Anyone interested in bidding or purchasing some of the wood flooring should call Withycombe at (509) 527-5296.
Volunteers who would like to help Habitat finish this project on Saturday are more than welcome, said Withycombe. The floor is being removed under the direction of Withycombe and Jim Phillips, a local building contractor and the present Habitat for Humanity president. So far, most of the labor has come from the Whitman College community of students, faculty and staff. “Whitman has been extremely good to Habitat,” he said.
Withycombe said he believes that the new floor for Sherwood will be installed in a more sophisticated manner that will eliminate dead spots, providing for a better basketball court. He said he believes, however, that the original wood, itself, is probably a superior wood for use in home floorings because of its thickness. Habitat expects to get about $1.50 a square foot, as is.