By BRANDON HURLEYb.hurley@beeherald.com
The vacant Rippey gym will soon have new occupants, ones who battle flames and maintain the infrastructure of the Greene County town.
At a recent city council meeting, Rippey officials voted to convert the old Rippey High School gym — the only physical structure standing from the 2014 demolition — into a fire station and city maintenance shed.
The Greene County school board voted to give the gym back to Rippey at a meeting in September after the district pulled athletics completely from the facility, citing unnecessary costs of operation.
The Wisecup Memorial Gymnasium was built in the late 1950s and endured the East Greene and Jefferson-Scranton consolidation into Greene County four years ago. The gym stayed alive for use by middle school athletic events until the past year.
With the Hawks’ athletic programs still in commission in 2011, the William and Maybelle Wisecup estate donated $225,000 for use in the gym, which earned them the namesake. In all, the couple donated $1.3 million to the city for various projects.
The Wisecups religiously attended the Girls’ Iowa High School state tournament each year, which led to their desire to update the more than 50-year-old gym.
The city finally settled on a use for it last week after it sat empty for nearly five months.
The current fire department, adjacent to the City Hall on 2nd Street, is no longer conducive to a smooth operation. The volunteer fire department employs roughly 12 firefighters. The facility is essentially a small Morton building and garage, which doesn’t leave room for much equipment.
The structure is perhaps most well-known for hosting a DJ and party during the annual BRR ride each winter.
The Rippey city council sees the former high school gym as a perfect upgrade, as repair costs for the current structure were getting out of hand. They’ll also use the structure to house city-owned maintenance trucks and equipment.
“The current city shed and the fire station are in need of significant repairs,” the council said at Monday’s meeting. “The fire department needs more space. The Rippey gym has ample space and accessibility for both the fire department and city equipment and trucks.”
To ready the building for city use, the gym will undergo a handful of renovations at an estimated cost of $104,200.
Rippey is seeking grant funding to help cover the costs of construction.
The first order of operation is to transform the former gym into a makeshift garage. Construction crews will demolish the south wall and fit it with a pair of overheard doors, complete with automatic garage openers.
Several leaks will be plugged through roof repairs while the north ceiling will receive touch ups as well.
Additionally, the floor will be replaced with concrete to support the weight of fire trucks and maintenance vehicles.
Construction should be complete within the next year.