Audio clip
Tyler Quick
Audio clip
Jodi Lawrence
Audio clip
Allen Pratt
SOUTH PITTSBURG, Tenn. — When the pedestrian bridge over Eddie Moore Way was built depends on who’s talking, but there’s little dispute over the need for a replacement, South Pittsburg High School principal Allen Pratt said.
School and city organizers are raising $30,000 to fix up the bridge in a way that complements the architecture of a new gymnasium and other campus buildings, Mr. Pratt said.
“We want to make it look nice and give the city on this end a kind of entrance (at) South Pittsburg High School, and highlight our school as they come into town,” he said.
The bridge spanning the main drag between the school and athletic complexes was built in the early to mid-1960s, officials and former staff members say. It is used even more frequently now that a gym is under construction and students have to park across the street from school, officials said.
High school juniors Tyler Quick and Jodi Lawrence both drive to school and cross the bridge every day.
“I think it’s important because, other than just the students, people drive under the overpass every day and they look up at it ... and it doesn’t look nice. Some of the letters are falling off and everything; it obviously needs a face-lift,” Jodi said.
Tyler said the project could unite the community behind school plans for improvement.
“We’re doing a lot of things for our school that are putting pride in making it look better,” he said. “And this is one of the things that people will see more often ... it’s what we need for people to really buy into our vision of the school.”
Sophomore Kendall Robinson and freshman Blake Mitchell use the bridge to go to the weight room in the football field house.
“We use it every day to walk to the locker room,” Kendall said. “Sometimes twice a day,” Blake added.
“It’s getting old,” they agreed.
Bebe Fuquay lives in the house where she was born across the street from the school where she once taught health, junior high science and physical education. Mrs. Fuquay, 76, says the bridge has always been important for the community. “I’ve used it considerably myself,” she said. “I go over to the football field all the time.” Mrs. Fuquay, retired but still active as a volunteer basketball coach, hopes other fundraisers don’t distract from the bridge project. “I’m all for fixing it,” she said. “I would have thought the state or the county might do that, but I’ll help. I’ll contribute.”
CLASS NOTES
School name:
South Pittsburg High School
Students: 355
Teachers: 30
Address: 717 Elm Ave., South Pittsburg, Tenn.
Contact: (423) 837-7561; www.southpittsburghigh.org
Ben Benton is a news reporter at the Chattanooga Times Free Press. He covers Southeast Tennessee and previously covered North Georgia education. Ben has worked at the Times Free Press since November 2005, first covering Bledsoe and Sequatchie counties and later adding Marion, Grundy and other counties in the northern and western edges of the region to his coverage. He was born and raised in Cleveland, Tenn., a graduate of Bradley Central High School. Benton ...
