WEST CENTRAL COOP TO USE MEREDOSIA GYM FOR 2026-27 SPORTS SEASON

WINCHESTER, Ill. — Scott County West Central COOP students will play a significant portion of their home sports schedule in Meredosia this school year after the Winchester Elementary School gym was demolished because of structural concerns. The West Central COOP comprises atheletes from across Scott County in the Winchester and Bluffs districts.

Winchester school district Superintendent Jeff Abell and Principal Dennis Vortman met with members of the Meredosia-Chambersburg school board last week to finalize plans allowing Winchester teams to use the Meredosia gym for athletic events.

The Winchester Elementary School gym was closed suddenly in January after extensive structural damage was discovered in the roof. The building, constructed in 1958, was demolished in July after the Winchester school board approved more than $327,000 for asbestos removal and demolition.

School officials say Winchester is planning approximately 40 dates and 62 games at the Meredosia facility during the upcoming school year.

The arrangement will also keep one of the area’s longest-running basketball traditions alive. The Winchester Invitational Tournament, recognized as the oldest basketball tournament in Illinois, will be played at the Meredosia gym this season.

Vortman said Winchester officials are appreciative of Meredosia-Chambersburg’s willingness to help the district maintain its athletic schedule while Winchester works toward a permanent replacement.

Voters in the Winchester school district will be asked in November to authorize the issuance of up to $8.5 million in bonds to finance construction of a new elementary school gym.

The former gym had served Winchester students and the community for more than five decades, hosting school games, tournaments and other events before its closure earlier this year.

The temporary move to Meredosia is expected to allow Winchester athletic programs to continue with minimal disruption while the district determines the long-term future of its facilities.