East Ridge High School could gain new athletic facilities

Staff Photo by Robin Rudd/  Students arrive for the first day of school at the East Ridge High and Middle schools campus.  The first day for Hamilton County Schools saw changed starting times for some schools on August 7, 2019.
Staff Photo by Robin Rudd/ Students arrive for the first day of school at the East Ridge High and Middle schools campus. The first day for Hamilton County Schools saw changed starting times for some schools on August 7, 2019.

A newly proposed field house and weight room at East Ridge High School may have the city handing ownership of the school's athletic facilities back to the Hamilton County Board of Education.

In December 2016, the Hamilton County School Board voted to have its attorney investigate the possibility of giving the facilities to the city of East Ridge, which offered to pay for repairs and maintenance in return for ownership of the property, according to a Times Free Press article from the time.

The transfer allowed the city to use state grants to cover repairs and upgrades to the school's two soccer fields, baseball field, tennis court and track, which were at that point unusable due to their deterioration.

"To me it looks like a win-win situation for everybody, because we're not able to maintain these facilities with our existing funding," then-school board member David Testerman said at the time.

But now, in order to make the weight room and field house a reality, the athletic fields and football stadium must be transferred back to the board of education in order for county money to be spent on the property, East Ridge Mayor Brian Williams explained in an email.

The high school currently has a weight room, said East Ridge High School football coach Tim James, but the space is cramped and the equipment outdated.

"I don't want to knock what we have - we make due - but our students deserve better," he said.

The proposed weight room and field house with locker rooms would be accessible to the school's physical education department, not just the football program, James added. The school currently does not have a field house.

The proposed additions are estimated to cost $250,000-$300,000, said Hamilton County School Board member Tucker McClendon, who represents the area.

Most of the money would come from a previous allocation for ERHS. The BOE planned to spend $150,000 for new lockers at the school, but after talking with teachers, McClendon said those weren't needed so the board is now proposing the money for this project. Additionally, the East Ridge High Alumni Association has pledged $85,000 for the new facilities, he said.

The remaining funds needed would be redistributed from other district projects included in the 2019-2020 budget that also were not needed, said McClendon.

When the sports complex was deeded to the city, all of the facilities were made available to the public when not in use by the school, and that would continue after the proposed new transfer of ownership.

The agreement would also stipulate that the city would continue assisting the school with the same amount of field maintenance as it did before the city took ownership.

Both the school board and the East Ridge City Council will discuss and vote on the proposed agreement at their respective Dec. 12 meetings. If both entities pass it, McClendon anticipates the new facilities will be complete by the start of next year's football season.

Email Sabrina Bodon at sbodon@timesfreepress.com.

Upcoming Events