by Judy Frank
posted May 9, 2008
Signal Mountain residents dreamed big this week.
With the new high school slated to open this fall, the present Signal Mountain Middle School on Ault Road will no longer be needed to house classes. Consequently, Hamilton County school officials are looking for a buyer for the 15-acre campus on which the school is located.
So why not relocate the current Town Hall complex – government offices, ballfields and all – to the former middle school property? That would leave the 18 acres on which the current Town Hall sits, located on prime land along the town’s main thoroughfare, available for development as a kind of village center, some residents suggested.
The vacant middle school building, which boasts a fine stage, is also ideal to become an adjunct to Signal Mountain Playhouse, local visionaries said.
Councilwoman Susan Robertson, one of several town officials on hand to talk with concerned residents who attended special meetings Wednesday and Thursday, said virtually all participants agreed on some issues.
Residents – particularly those who live near the existing middle school property – do not want to see it rezoned for high-density housing or similar development.
They are adamant that it should not be turned into “a big concrete parking lot.”
And virtually everybody wants to keep the school’s track, where numerous residents go to walk almost every day, just as it is.
“People really love the track and the green space,” Mrs. Robertson said. “They want that to stay.”
The middle school has long been a fixture in Signal Mountain residents’ lives.
Built on land donated by Neal McDade of Rivermont Orchids, the school then known as Signal Mountain Junior High cost a whopping $327,000.
When it opened for classes in the fall of 1959, it had 266 students and 13 faculty members.
In 1962 a gymnasium was added, followed by a shop building in 1964.
Over the ensuing decades, virtually every family on the mountain built its own associations with the school. Consequently, interest is strong in what will happen to the property now.
Some residents have suggested that it be used as a senior center complex, Mrs. Robertson said. Some prefer retail development.
Others would love to see Signal Mountain Athletic Club relocate to the property.
In the end, the councilwoman noted, what happens to the school will depend on who offers the most money for it. The Hamilton County Board of Education is expected to issue a formal request for proposals sometime in June.
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