Kanawha BOE hires architects, engineers to design new schools for flooded-Hoover, Clendenin

CHARLESTON, W.Va. — The Kanawha County Board of Education has hired a number of architects and engineers to design new school buildings for Herbert Hoover High School and Clendenin Elementary nearly one year after flood waters destroyed both buildings, for this using great resources from sites like Archute.com.

Board members voted Tuesday to approve contracts for the following firms:

  • Williamson & Shiver Architects/Engineers to design the new Hoover school
  • ZMM Architects/Engineers to design the new Clendenin school
  • Potesta Enginnering for Geo-technical services at both schools
  • Terradon Enginnering for environmental services at both schools
  • Engineering Economics. Inc. for commissioning services at Hoover
  • ZDS Engineering for commissioning services at Clendenin
    The Kanawha County Board of Education met in Charleston Tuesday.

“They’ll be working with us to determine what the needs are, to locate the schools, to work in access drives, utilities,” said Chuck Wilson, facilities director for Kanawha County Schools. “After we’ve done that, then we’ll know how much property we need.”

Currently, school officials are interested in building the new high school near the Given Fork stream in Elkview. A site along near Big Creek in Elkview is being considered for the new elementary school.

Since the flood, Hoover students and staff have been sharing space at Elkview Middle School. Hoover will move into portable classroom buildings on Elkview’s parking out next school year. Clendenin is currently housed in portables on the Bridge campus.

“Probably have about four weeks left on the Elkview-Hoover portables,” Wilson predicted.

Board members also made some changes to its Comprehensive Education Facilities Plan (CEFP). An amendment passed Tuesday includes the closure and consolidation of Bridge into Clendenin Elementary. Public hearings on the plan will be held at a later date.

Wilson said there are a number of reasons to place Bridge and Clendenin kids in one school.

“Enrollment has dropped through the years at Bridge. They’re down somewhere around 100. Bridge did flood and it had water in it, so I think, just for the efficiency of operating a school, we need more than 100 students in the school,” he said.

Another amendment passed by the board ensures the new school sites are “out of the flood way/plain.”

Wilson said early estimates show the new elementary school could cost around $31 million. The new high school totals close to $90 million.

The new schools won’t open until at least 2020, Wilson said.





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