Construction is underway on the new Ganns Middle Valley Elementary School in Hixson.
The new Pre-K-5th grade school is going up behind the existing school, and will serve up to 1,000 students from Ganns Middle Valley and Falling Water elementary schools. Hamilton County commissioners approved the $29 million contract earlier this month. It also includes the cost of demolishing the old schools.
Gary Waters, assistant superintendent for auxiliary services for Hamilton County Schools, said both schools had run their course. According to a 2009 facilities review by the Hamilton County Department of Education, Falling Water Elementary and Ganns Middle Valley Elementary received condition ratings of 54/100 and 61/100, respectively.
“It’s just old age,” Waters said. “Falling Water was originally built in 1912, and Ganns was built in 1937.”
An excavator loads dirt and brush into a truck at the new Ganns Middle Valley Elementary School construction site Thursday, May 28, 2015, in Hixson, Tenn. The new 149,000-square-foot building is planned to open in July of 2016.District 1 Board of Education member Rhonda Thurman said losing Falling Water Elementary, which sits in her district, is bittersweet.