Members of the Alvaton community, along with community leaders and elected officials, gathered today for a dedication ceremony to officially reopen the old Alvaton school gym.

And for many, it was a trip down memory lane.

“On weekends, I would come stay with friends, and we’d slip into this gym and play ball,” said Kelly Hudson of Richardsville. “I feel at home here.”

The old Alvaton school gym was renovated and is maintained by Warren County Parks and Recreation. Warren County Fiscal Court magistrates agreed to buy the building from Warren County Schools for $85,000.

Alvaton High School closed in 1968. The gym was revitalized with a $220,000 state grant.

“It is great to see this building renewed, and looking better than it did when I went here,” said Martha Jeannette, a 1959 graduate of Alvaton High School. “I hated to see the old school go, but this is like a new beginning for so many people. I’m glad to see the gym preserved.”

Warren County Parks and Recreation director Phil Moore said a number of individuals in the community wanted to see the facility preserved.

“It’s still a gym that can be used as a community center,” he said.

“When you set foot in the door, it sets you back about 40 years,” Moore said. “It is the same way it was back in 1968 when it was a high school gymnasium.”

“It’s just like coming home,” said Jewell Cassady of Alvaton, who went to the high school. “Makes you think you’re 16 again.”

The outside of the building has been sandblasted to look like it did when it was first built in 1942, Moore said. Other features of the building include freshly painted walls, restored bleachers, refinished floors, an HVAC unit, handicap accessible bathrooms and a stage.

“It brings back a lot of fond memories,” Moore said. “There is a tremendous amount of heritage there.”

Even Warren County Schools Superintendent Dale Brown has memories of the gym – “I played my last pick-up game here,” he said.

Moore said the 1958 class of Alvaton school is planning a reunion in August in that facility, and other graduating classes plan to do the same. Other organizations, such as Girls Scouts and Boys Scouts, can also use the facility, Moore said.

“It is an excellent addition to the parks department and to the Alvaton community,” Moore said.

House Speaker Jody Richards, D-Bowling Green, said the building will have uses that are meaningful to a lot of people. He said it is important to keep things that “remind us of our youth.”

“It’s more than an old building,” said state Rep. Rob Wilkey, D-Scottsville. “It is the history of this community.”