Riverton community urges district to fix crowded wrestling room; board asks facilities committee to study bond options
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Summary
Coaches, parents and student-athletes from Riverton High told the board they have safety and access concerns in an undersized wrestling room. The board directed the facilities committee to study whether a bond to build field houses across district high schools is feasible.
Dozens of Riverton High School parents, coaches and student-athletes used the Jordan School District board meeting on March 25 to press for improved athletic facilities after repeated injuries and strained practice schedules in the school's small wrestling room.
Joe Gorman, Riverton’s head wrestling coach, told the board the program had grown from about 25 athletes to roughly 60 and that “our wrestling room can only fit 30 athletes safely.” Gorman described safety incidents and infections tied to crowded conditions and said families were leaving district boundaries for schools with larger facilities. Multiple student athletes and parents described injuries they or teammates sustained during cramped practices.
Several speakers described operational impacts beyond safety: practices split into multiple sessions, girls sometimes having to practice in nontraditional spaces (the tech atrium), and the district losing athletes to programs outside boundaries. Senior Garrett Bracken said his broken finger — requiring surgery — resulted from overcrowding and still allowed him to return and place at state; others said the cramped room limited team cohesion and new-wrestler integration.
Parents and coaches suggested possible remedies including larger school-owned spaces, shared city-district recreation partnerships, or a districtwide bond to fund larger field houses. Maria Johnson, a team parent and district academic advisor, pointed to Riverton City Council interest in recreation facilities as a possible local funding partner.
After public comment, board members discussed facility equity and long-term funding. Facilities committee members noted building a field house at every high school could cost in the low tens of millions per site. Facilities director Dave Rostrum said options and costs vary and recommended a study. The board then voted to direct the facilities committee to study a potential bond to fund field houses across the district and to return with options and alternatives. Board member Mister Dunford moved the direction; Mister Barnett seconded. The motion passed by voice vote.
The board did not commit to a bond or design; it directed staff to examine options, including site feasibility, potential shared facilities, impacts on other facility priorities (swimming, performing arts) and estimated costs. The facilities committee will report findings to the board as part of longer-range capital planning.
