That’s because the high school gymnasium had new bleachers installed before the start of basketball season.

“The bleachers that were there were installed with the new gym back in 1989-90,” recalled JP Towsey, a multi-craft maintenance technician who is stationed at East Juniata.

“It served us well, but there were safety concerns as far as handicapped access.” Towsey added.

It also took a two-man crew to set up the bleachers on gameday as there were 10 sections that had to manually be pulled out for events. With the advent of technology, one technician can now take care of that responsibility without even breaking a sweat.

Sentinel photo by MIKE GOSS
East Juniata High School fans watch a basketball game while sitting in the new bleachers in the high school gymnasium.

“Now, one guy can do down and move a whole side in 30 seconds,” Towsey explained. “There are two sides.

“It’s an incredible advancement in technology we’ll say from what we had,” Towsey added.

The new bleachers also have an inset in the front row for positioning handicapped wheelers and other Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) regulations.

“The bleachers are nice for the fans,” said Juniata County School District Athletic Director Travis Quici. “Much safer and more comfortable.”

The old bleachers had two sets of stairways on each side, with hand rails that were terribly difficult to set up. “They weighed like 60 pounds each, and you had to lift them up, balance them and put them in,” Towsey said.

The new bleachers feature four stairways on one side and three on the other. They also have railings that fold out automatically when the bleachers set up. The new bleachers are offer an extra step off the bottom to assist older fans who

“We heard nothing but positive feedback so far,” Towsey added.

The bleachers were purchased from C.M. Eichenlaub Co., of Pittsburgh, and were installed by Maiden USA LLC, of Millersburg, in about two weeks. The total cost of the project was around $360,000, which was paid from capital reserves.

The district saved money by handling the demolition of the previous bleachers, school officials said.

Construction started in early September, school officials said. That allowed enough time to finish the installation of the bleachers before winter sports teams hit the court, which was in early December.

“We eliminated one side, so volleyball only had one side,” Towsey said. “After volleyball, the second set was demoed.”

At the conclusion of the bleacher project, a new center divider for the gymnasium was also installed. The old curtain would often come off track, Towsey said, making it necessary for a technician to climb a high ladder and re-hang it.

“Everything has moving parts, so you can’t expect it to last forever,” Towsey said.

The bleachers are Tuscarora Junior High School in Mifflintown were also replaced. Dating back to 1992 — when the junior high school was last remodeled, its gymnasium has bleachers on one side. The old bleachers had six sets, which have since been reduced to one set with the same automated technology.

“They were in a little better shape than EJ,” Towsey said. “Overall, it was a successful project.”