The City of Rippey hit the “jackpot” at the Wild Rose Casino on Tuesday evening but they were not gambling. Rather, they were the big winner in the competitive grant competition receiving $80,000 to re-purpose the Rippey School gymnasium into a fire station.
In addition the City of Rippey received $12,258.00 from the Gaming Corporation as their per population reimbursement. A total of 1.2 million dollars was awarded in the third annual event.
Mayor Dan Brubaker reported on Wednesday morning the re-purposing project will begin soon. First an inventory of the building contents will be completed and some items such as the mats under the basket and the scoreboard will be made available for sale. The gymnasium floor and bleachers will be sold for the wood, and potions of the stage floor will be made available as memorial tokens to interested purchasers by Memorial Day weekend.
The Wisecup Memorial Gymnasium was built in 1959 and became a part of the East Greene system in 1962. Four years ago it transferred to the Jefferson-Scranton, thus the Greene County Community Schools. The gym stayed alive for use by middle school athletic events until the past year.
The first order of construction will be to change the roof from a flat roof, which is leaking to a pitched roof. The attached rooms that served as housing for buses originally, and then classrooms will also receive a pitch to avoid continued leakage issues.
Construction crews will demolish the south wall and fit it with overheard doors, complete with automatic garage openers.
Construction should be completed within the next year according to Mayor Brubaker.
The photo courtesy of Raccoon Valley Radio, shows Peg Raney Secretary of GGC, Mayor Dan Brubaker, Council Member, Garry Higgins, City Clerk Mary Millard, and GGC Board member Kate Neese. The City of Rippey received a check from Grow Greene County Gaming Corporation for $80,000 to re-purpose the Rippey gym.
– Mary Weaver