It could be as late as mid-January 2026 until the gymnasium at Bethel Regional High School (BRHS) is reopened for use, even as high school athletics heat up. This comes after inspectors found significant damage to floor trusses underneath the facility last spring.
Lower Kuskokwim School District (LKSD) Superintendent Andrew “Hannibal” Anderson said that an assessment of the damage wasn’t completed until early July, including several options for addressing it.
"Far and away, the cheapest and the most time efficient, as well as being sound, was this repair of those trusses throughout not only the gym, but the A Wing as a whole," Anderson said. "Initially we had hoped it was just under the gym, but it was under [the] A Wing, the entire area."
Alongside the gymnasium, the closure of the A Wing has also blocked access to the band room, weight room, locker rooms, and concessions area.
Anderson said that BRHS staff have found workarounds, such as staging band rehearsals in another space and offering physical education activities outdoors.
In its most recent meeting on Aug. 20, the district’s board set aside roughly $2.2 million to fund the repairs. The board estimated that the work would be done by Jan. 15, 2026 at the latest. Meanwhile, Anderson said that the district has worked diligently to find alternatives for hosting athletics.
"As soon as we heard about this, we reached out to site administrators for Ayaprun [Elitnaurvik] and the other schools, and they are all working well together, trying to support the needs of the BRHS kids," Anderson said.
Ayaprun Elitnaurvik offers the second-largest gymnasium in Bethel, while Mikelnguut Elitnaurviat (ME) and Gladys Jung Elementary have smaller facilities.
According to BRHS Athletic Director Joe Arrowood, Warriors volleyball teams are currently practicing at Ayaprun Elitnaurvik. They will soon be joined by wrestlers, who may also make use of the Gladys Jung gymnasium. Arrowood said that November’s regional volleyball tournament, as well as upcoming wrestling home matches, will be held at Ayaprun. He said that the arrangement is going well so far.
According to superintendent Anderson, contractors are currently working seven days a week to stabilize the floor trusses, but whether the work will be completed ahead of the deadline remains unclear.
"If we're able to get it done earlier, so much the better. I mean, there's every effort to accomplish that," Anderson said.
The first varsity basketball home games of the season are scheduled to kick off on Jan. 22 at the Warrior Dome. Anderson said that the district will provide monthly updates to Bethel students and their families regarding the status of the repairs.
