A project to beautify the rear of J. Taylor Finley Middle School and restore the basketball courts and paved areas is now complete.
A huge, eye-catching mural promoting Huntington’s extracurricular programs was painted by district resident Dave Whitcher and funded by the Huntington Booster Club and the Huntington Foundation for Excellence in Education.
The colorful mural covers the entire outside rear gymnasium wall and overlooks the paved area and the athletic fields. It gives contact information for both the Booster Club and HFEE.
The pavement was restored through a donation to the district from the Forte family and Posillico Civil. That portion of the project involved leveling off the area where it was needed and then applying a fresh new coat of pavement.
The project was completed on Monday afternoon was Posillico Civil returned to stripe the basketball courts with out of bounds lines as was as three-point arcs and free throw lines and the key/foul lane.
Even before the new courts were striped, students were flocking to them, with dozens of teenagers playing basketball and other fun games on the restored pavement during lunch periods.
The Booster Club also funded the purchase of a sparkling new scoreboard for the outdoor athletic field, dugouts and fencing for the baseball field and a set of fan bleachers.
The district painted the backboards and installed new basketball rims.
The mural and pavement/striping along with the dugouts/fencing, solar scoreboard and bleachers are valued at tens of thousands of dollars.
“We are beyond thankful for the generosity of the Booster Club and HFEE and the folks at Posillico and the Forte family, as well as for their help in beautifying the Finley campus,” Huntington Superintendent James W. Polansky said. “The court is great shape for multiple uses and will remain so for many years to come.”
