Resident urges Amherst County School Board to address cramped Amherst Middle School gym, citing safety concerns

Lindsay Tewilliger, a Monroe resident, told the Amherst County School Board during public comment that she has attended Amherst Middle School basketball games for two seasons and consistently finds the gym overcrowded, with standing-room-only crowds and several near-collisions between players and spectators. She offered to email the board photos and videos documenting the situation and invited board members to attend future games to see conditions firsthand.

Tewilliger said the bleacher capacity at Amherst Middle School is “less than half the size” of the bleachers at a nearby school and described the crowding as a safety concern rather than a matter of comfort. She added that close calls have occurred and that the current capacity is “inadequate to support the crowd size and students.”

Board members acknowledged the comment and several spoke later in the meeting about looking into potential responses. One board member said the issue had been raised at a prior meeting as well and asked administrators to at least ‘‘see what can be done’’ to assess options such as facility changes or temporarily relocating events. No formal motion or vote on facilities changes occurred at the meeting.

The board had already been discussing capital needs and CTE construction projects during the meeting, and members said they would look into Amherst Middle School gym concerns as part of facility planning. The public comment concluded with Tewilliger saying she would send supporting photos and videos to the board.