Matthew Burnette, Staff Writer

Coffee County Mayor Dennis Hunt announced in a social media post on Wednesday Sept. 17 that he nominated the old Riverview School on Emerson Street in Manchester for an assessment by the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation.

TDEC’s assessment is part of a $20,000 grant offered to the 13 counties, including Coffee County, of the South Central Tennessee Development District, to identify buildings classified as a “Brownfield” property which Hunt was first made aware of at the SCTDD meeting in late 2024.

A brownfield property is defined as a site whose expansion, redevelopment, or reuse may be complicated by the presence or potential presence of a hazardous substance, pollutant or contaminant.

Hunt noted in a later comment on the post that his focus will be on saving the structure.

“A flat roof with no HVAC on the roof makes this an excellent candidate for placing trusses with a 4:12 pitch,” said Hunt. “I envision a daycare facility maybe. We need the community behind saving it.”

Riverview opened in the late 1950s as a school for black students during the time of segregation until the schools were integrated in 1964. Riverview was most recently utilized as an alternative school.

Hunt also commented on the post that he was a little surprised to see that people wanted to see the building “destroyed.”

“This building represents a piece of our city’s history….African American, Black history.!” he said. “So very few tangible items in Manchester are still with us that represent this history. It is worth the effort to at least attempt to save it.”

In a series of follow-up posts, Hunt confirmed, after submitting an access document to TDEC, that a preliminary inspection of the building was performed on Sept. 19 by BCA Environmental Consultants as part of Phase I of the process.

BCA representatives Colton Gunnels and Valentina Hooghkirk met with Hunt, Manchester City Schools Director Dr. Joey Vaughn and former Riverview School student Robert “Tiny” Sotherland, who was a member of the first class taught at the school, for a walkthrough of the building.

Hunt prospered that an underground tank for fuel oil that fueled the boiler that provided heat in the building could be a source of contamination and possibly subject to Phase II expenditures.

He also explained that Phase III would include abatement/remediation for the most serious concern regarding asbestos and lead based paint using encapsulation technology.

Riverview is owned jointly by the Coffee County and Manchester City Boards of Education with Coffee County owning 60% and Manchester City owning 40%.

After the final analysis is presented by TDEC, the results will be given to the Directors of both school systems to present to their respective boards to vote on whether to allow grant funds to be accepted for physical alterations to the property.