Gym Revival

A group of passionate alumni and Medaryville community members have formed a group, the Friends of the Medaryville Gymnasium, with a mission to preserve and rehabilitate the historic Medaryville High School gymnasium building to its former glory. The building has been most recently used as the Medaryville American Legion. The gym used to be a hotspot of activity for Medaryville, but has fallen into disrepair over the years. The group's goal is to create a community center and gymnasium that can once again serve as a place for residents to connect and celebrate. They plan to restore the architectural and historical integrity of the gym and the building, reintroduce the space as a community center for Medaryville and overall preserve an important piece of local history. The Friends have announced that they have been recently granted an Indiana Brownfields Phase 1 Environmental Site Assessment. A part of the Indiana Brownfields Program, this assessment helps identify any potentially unsafe substances or environmental concerns in underutilized spaces before rehabilitation to ensure public safety and health. It is a research based study that will look at the building’s history, records and current condition. This is scheduled to take place at the end of September. The group is currently working with several entities to pursue funding opportunities. So far, they have partnered with the Community Foundation of Pulaski County, Indiana Landmarks, the Kankakee-Iroquois Regional Planning Commission (KIRPC) as well as a Historic Registry consultant. Emily Albaugh, Community Development Planner with KIRPC, was present at the Wednesday, Aug. 20 regular town council meeting to ask if the town would be willing to be a grant applicant on behalf of the Friends of the Medaryville Gymnasium.