JANUARY 6, 2025|
Photo – Elk Mountain school – By Matt Copeland Bigfoot99
The Elk Mountain town hall has successfully moved into the nearby, unused school building in the town.
For the second year in a row, the Elk Mountain School, located at 202 Veterans Street, has no students. Facing the possibility of permanently shutting the unused facility down, Elk Mountain Mayor Morgan Irene and Carbon County School District Two Superintendent Darrin Jennings came up with a plan to save the school.
In September, Mayor Irene and Superintendent Jennings announced that town hall operations would move into the school building. At the time, Mayor Irene said he and Superintendent Jennings were still working with the Carbon County School District Two board to finalize the agreement.
The contract was signed soon afterward, and the Elk Mountain town hall staff moved into the building at the beginning of December. Speaking to Bigfoot99 last week, Town Clerk Heidi Hess explained that in exchange for sharing utility costs and purchasing its own equipment, such as tables and chairs, the town has been granted free use of the school.
Several issues had to be resolved before Elk Mountain town hall staff could move into the school building. A partition was erected to separate the office from the rest of the school building. Additionally, the town set up its own wi-fi network, completely independent from the school district’s. Clerk Hess mentioned that although the transition is still ongoing, the move has been smooth so far.
Clerk Hess explained that, even though town operations have been moved into the Elk Mountain School, the building remains available for future Elk Mountain students.
In the meantime, the Elk Mountain School will continue to serve as an attendance center when weather conditions make busing students to Hanna unsafe. The town is also authorized to use the school as a community center, with events being held in the gymnasium when students aren’t present.
