The East Hampton High School gym is getting a makeover. The renovation project started last summer with new flooring. The bleachers are currently being replaced and will display the message “Go Bonac!” when closed; a new sound system is also being installed. At the school board meeting on Tuesday, Todd Gulluscio, the athletic director, unveiled plans to update the walls with new graphics and consolidated banners.
The project will give the gym a more updated and organized look, with fewer banners and a more uniform design. The school currently has 181 individual banners, some gray and some maroon. Some are falling off the walls; others are missing. They will be replaced with 24 consolidated banners, each capable of holding about 18 titles.
“We’re going to have a “Go Bonac” graphic on the back wall where folks are seated, so when they’re seated, they’ll see our consolidated banners, 181 banners moving into 24 banners,” Mr. Gulluscio explained. “From the team side, coming out from the tunnel between the benches, they’ll see the ‘Go Bonac’ when they come out. On the wall currently containing some of the felt banners, we’re going to have our league championship banners. So when a team wins leagues, their banner is going to go up on the wall with all of the kids’ names, the coaches’ names, honoring that league championship team. In four years, that will be transferred over to the main banners.”
For historical reference, the athletic department has photographed and catalogued every banner in the building. The oldest is from 1949 -- an Eastern Suffolk Class A baseball title.
The school is debating what to do with the old banners and is considering a silent auction for those who want to take home a piece of Bonacker history.
There are still some details to be worked out, including the exact color of the new banners so that they best match the maroon already in the gym. The painting and banner replacement will likely take place in the spring or summer of 2027.
In other renovation news, the district has accepted a $1,352,500 bid for its new turf field and bleachers. LandTek Group Inc. of Bay Shore was the lowest responsible bidder meeting all of the project requirements. Its base bid was $1,198,000, with an additional $84,000 for fencing and $70,500 for ball-stopper netting.
Construction on the new turf field is expected to start in April or May, depending on weather. Overnight temperatures need to be consistently above 50 degrees before crews can start pouring the initial concrete.