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FROM STAFF REPORTS / Editorial 

The last few years there was concern surrounding the Chelsea athletic program that only those in the building truly experienced and knew about, and while there are still some concerns, there was recently a major upgrade.

On Friday, July 3, the high school situated off County Road 11, debuted its new standalone athletic facility that features brand new weight lifting equipment, a major upgrade in space and a turf area for agility drills and medicine ball work.

Previously, all of Chelsea’s sports programs were forced to work out upstairs behind the bleachers in the basketball gym in a very tight space with old equipment.

That sat directly above the coaches’ office and locker room, and when inside, it sounded like the roof was about to cave in whenever a weight was dropped to the ground.

Over the last four years, coaches had voiced their concerns of the issue, but didn’t see a fix for the problem in the foreseeable future.

That all changed when the city of Chelsea and Shelby County Schools worked together to make this change happen.

The council worked together to approve the financial assistance for the project, and now the student athletes at Chelsea will have a state-of-the-art facility that will make their experience more enjoyable.

While there are still upgrades needed for a school that is still built for a Class 4A or 5A school despite being a 6A school, this is a step in the right direction for the school as a whole.

It shows the city is currently committed to making improvements in the school, which stems from a sales tax approved last year to benefit all schools in the city.

With the athletic facility upgrade, Chelsea has gone from one of the worst situations in the county to easily one of the best, and it sets an example for the accommodations our students and athletes deserve for the work they put in both in the class room and in their respective sport.