CLEVELAND, Tenn. -- A combined fitness center and weight room will be included as part of Cleveland High School's new gymnasium construction project, now officially named Raider Arena.
On Monday, the city school board voted 7-0 to accept an anonymous $100,000 donation to renovate 3,760 square feet of space underneath the school's Betsy Vines Theater for the fitness center.
"The fitness center will fit into the overall gymnasium project and is expected to roll out once the new gymnasium complex has been completed," Dr. Martin Ringstaff, director of Cleveland City Schools, said Tuesday.
Brian Templeton, an architectural consultant with Upland Design Group, will design the space, Ringstaff said.
The city school board will give naming rights to the anonymous donor, according to a Dec. 19 memo distributed to school board members. No date has been given, and Ringstaff said that may occur over the summer.
Autumn O'Bryan, principal of Cleveland High School, repeatedly urged the inclusion of a fitness center/weight room as part of the new gym.
The gym, fitness center and wellness classes were housed in the 50-year-old Raider Dome, which was closed for structural problems in December 2013.
In October, the city school board designated the fitness center as an unfunded alternative to keep the gym project within its proposed $11 million budget.
The board also voted 7-0 to approve the name Raider Arena for the new gym complex, which began construction in November.
"It's a fitting name," Ringstaff said.
Raider Arena follows in the footsteps of Raider Dome, also named for the high school's mascot, a blue-clad raider on horseback.
In other business, the school board approved final design alternatives for the facility's exterior.
The design incorporates brickwork and blue metal paneling for a rounded corner structure, located near one of its main entrances.
Construction is projected to be completed by January 2016, school officials said.
Paul Leach is based in Cleveland. Email him at paul.leach.press@gmail.com.