Hilham School Getting New Walking Track

A new walking track will be built at Hilham School.

Overton County Executive Ben Danner said a $20,000 Healthy Built Environment Grant will pay for the project.

“We looked at some of the numbers from the schools and Hilham School had one of the higher obesity rates in the county,” Danner said. “They don’t have a walking track outside on the playground, so we came up with the idea of doing a walking track.”

The Overton County Health Department awarded the grant to the county. Danner said the county has benefited from similar grants in the past.

“I think a lot of people will use that and I’m glad the health department had that grant,” Danner said. “We’ve been able to do a lot of things with those grants. At the Joe L. Evins building we got basketball goals on the first one and there is tons of people using that now. I hope it’s the same way with this walking track.”

Danner said he hopes to have the project completed by the start of school, but that may not be possible.

“That’s the goal, but right now, with all the paving going on it’s really hard to get somebody to work,” Danner said. “I would hope to have it done by then, but we’re probably going to shoot for a little later than that.”

The county commission gave approval to use the grant funding during Monday night’s commission meeting.