West Virginia district wants construction of elementary school completed by the end of the year
The Kanawha County district says Clendenin Elementary, replacing a school destroyed in a 2016 flood, was supposed to be built by now, but soil problems at the site have caused significant delays.
MetroNews reports that construction of the replacement school has been delayed for over a year after the discovery of pyritic soil, a rare material that could’ve negatively affected the school’s foundation.
The old Clendenin school was destroyed in a June 2016 flood.
Construction on the new school was supposed to have been done last fall. In the meantime, students have been housed in temporary classrooms at Bridge Elementary School.
Kanawha County Schools Facilities Planning Executive Director Andrew Crawford told the board that the contractor had additional costs because of the delays.
“We had almost a year shutdown due to the soil claims," Crawford said. "Due to that, the contractor has claimed increased labor costs and increased material costs."
District officials would like the school to be completed by December; the contractor has indicated February 2024 is a more likely completion date.
Mike Kennedy has been writing about education forAmerican School & Universitysince 1999. He also has reported on schools and other topics for The Chicago Tribune, The Kansas City Star, The Kansas City Times and City News Bureau of Chicago. He is a graduate of Michigan State University.
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