If the people are paying attention, they may wonder about the wisdom of building a new gymnasium at a school which could be scheduled for closure in the near future.
It’s certainly a conundrum.
The Hamilton County Commission allocated $1.5 million for a new gymnasium at Rivermont Elementary School on July 20, 2022, as part of nearly $30 million in federal money it approved as part of the more than $71 million allotted to the county through the American Rescue Plan passed by Congress in 2021.
Nothing happened on the gym until the school wound up on the potential chopping list in a plan formulated by a school facilities working group. Hamilton County Mayor Weston Wamp established the group to evaluate school facility needs after he took office last September. The plan was announced last month.
One proposal in the plan would close four elementary schools — Alpine Crest, Dupont, Hixson and Rivermont — and build one larger school on the Dupont site. The Rivermont site would be sold or held for later use.