Red Bank Board of Commissioners invites community members to come to Red Bank Community Center April 25 at 6 p.m. for a public hearing on the new Red Bank Middle School.
"The public will have the chance to give us their opinions on the sale of the land behind Red Bank High School to Hamilton County School Board," said Red Bank City Manager Chris Dorsey. "[The sale] will publicly come to a vote the first [Red Bank Board of Commissioners] meeting in May."
He said the sale of the land would not affect Dixie Youth ball fields, but it would affect Red Bank Girls Association ball fields and the park land behind Red Bank Community Center.
"The United States Department of Interior approved the land conversion," said Dorsey. "When that park was built back in the 1970s, federal park grant money was used to make it a reality. Part of the grant said the land shall remain recreational forever. We petitioned to have the grant restriction lifted for the possible sale called the conversion process."
He said if the land behind Red Bank High School is sold to Hamilton County Department of Education,it must be replaced with the same acreage and value.
"We replaced it with two five-acre tracts on Stringer's Ridge and three acres at the current Red Bank Middle School site to allow the conversion," said Dorsey. "That will all take place if the commission votes to sell the land."