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A recent grant from the Mid-South Resource Conservation and Development (RC&D) Council has helped fund a series of long-awaited improvements to the fitness facility at Greenville High School, providing a boost to both athletic training and overall wellness in the community.

“When you step into this area now, you feel motivated, you feel happy to be here,” said Greenville head football coach Garrick Pimienta. “Something that’s happened this off-season for us that hasn’t happened since I’ve been here is that kids are wanting to stay after school and come here; it’s kind of like a safe space for them. They can get some work in and just enjoy being around each other and I think that’s good for our community, good for our kids, something that we can all enjoy.”

The upgrades included a fresh coat of paint and school logos, improved storage areas, safer rolled-rubber flooring and the addition of ten new exercise racks. The RC&D grant was further supported by education funds secured through local legislators — Representative Chris Sells and State Senator Robert Stewart.

The councils are nonprofit organizations that work to conserve, enhance and develop Alabama through local partnerships, aiming to make the state a better place to live, work and play.

Superintendent Joe Eiland emphasized that the improvements will benefit more than just student-athletes.

“What I like about Coach Pimienta’s vision and purpose is that this is not just for students,” Eiland said. “We encourage our staff to utilize the space for their own exercise or release or whatever it is that they need during the day. There are going to be opportunities to extend that to the community as well in the future.”

Senator Stewart echoed that sentiment, calling the investment a commitment to equity in rural education.

“It is so important to support athletics, but this is more than about athletics,” Stewart said. “This is about quality of life, ensuring that our students and our children have the same opportunities as other children in more prominent places.”

Pam Hughes, Executive Director of the Mid-South RC&D Council, praised the legislators’ contributions and reaffirmed the organization’s dedication to education.

“We couldn’t do what we do without their support and I just appreciate them both so much for all that they do for us,” Hughes said. “We love our education projects… I mean, our hearts beat [for] children… I’m always looking at these schools because we have relationships with all of you. And that’s what RC&D is. We are about relationships.”