County residents urge action
on
Natural Bridge High gym
The sentiment was clear at the second meeting to discuss the future of the old Natural Bridge High School gym Feb. 6. The community wants it back.
Nick Des Champs, current owner of the gym, wants to be released from a contract with Rockbridge County should his company, Des Champs Laboratories, no longer want the building. Des Champs acquired the gym and its property in 1996.
If his company decides not to keep the building he wants to donate the property to Virginia Tech. Tech would then find a buyer to bring a new technical industry to the area.
But under the contract, Rockbridge County has the first opportunity to buy the gym if DesChamps wants to sell.
“The Board of Supervisors thought about [Des Champs’ idea to give the property to Tech] and denied that in December,” said Natural Bridge Supervisor Hunt Riegel.
“It came back up in January, and we decided on January 11th to invite the community to talk and consider pros and cons of the county taking back the gym.”
Des Champs locked the gym in June 2004, and the community has not been able to use it since then. Residents formed three committees earlier this year to investigate the issue. Anne Russek, the one-person legal aspects committee, said at the meeting she thought Des Champs defaulted on his contract in 2004 when he ended public use.
Des Champs was not at the meeting but has previously argued that vandalism and excessive messes left by users led him to close the gym. He believes his workers were doing more than they should have had to to maintain the gym. Nothing passed legally, however, when the locking occurred, and local residents want to know why.
Now citizens are demanding the county regain control of the gym and surrounding properties. They want the facilities to be used for recreational and other community activities.
Riegel and Buffalo Creek Supervisor Mack Smith were at the meeting to hear residents’ concerns and ideas. Citizens, though, were eager for them to answer questions regarding the legal situation with Des Champs. Many of those questions involved issues that arose before either was elected to the board.
Several organizations had been among the gym’s users. But Bill Kramer, head of the Rockbridge Area Recreation Organization, said RARO stopped using the gym before it was locked because the heat was never on. He said parents didn’t want their children in there.
Heat was also a problem when the gym was used as a polling place, people at the meeting said.
“One lady brought her space heater to keep her feet warm,” one audience member said.
But Alan Young of the maintenance committee said the gym is in good condition, with few issues needing immediate attention. He read from a preliminary report done by Rockbridge County Engineer Tom Higgins. The report, completed January 30, found the building’s foundations adequate, with no signs of distress. Young said the committee has not yet calculated operating costs should the gym reopen.
Residents at the meeting discussed the future of the gym if the community gets it back . They suggested basketball tournaments and wrestling and volleyball matches. Eric Wheeler, head of the uses committee, remembered how he once played in the gym, and loved it.
Paige Owens, head baseball coach at Rockbridge County High School, said the extra gym space in the county would be helpful. The high school has only one gym for several sports, and when it rains everyone is competing for space in the gym. Returning the Natural Bridge gym to the county would allow high school students to use the gym for practices when they needed it.
Mike Burns, basketball coach at Hidden Valley High School, traveled from Roanoke for a tour of the gym after hearing a lot about it.
“What you need is someone in charge of running the facility,” he said. “ But money can be made. I came here to see the facility, what I’ve heard is unbelievable, and [the gym] is just sitting there.”
Produced by
Washington and Lee
journalism students.
Lead Supervisor:
Prof. Brian
Richardson
Prof. Phylissa
Mitchell
Reporting supervisors:
Prof. Doug
Cumming
Prof. Pamela Luecke
Technical supervisor: Michael Todd