CLENDENIN, W.Va. — Kanawha County Schools board members are getting another look at the progress being made on the new Clendenin Elementary. They paid a visit to take a tour of the construction site where the school is being built Friday morning.
Kanawha County Schools Superintendent Tom Williams said while the board previously had visited the site, more progress has been made since then, and they are satisfied with how it’s coming along.
“Once we finally got back on track after we had the issue with the soil, things are moving right along and we’re just happy to see the walls going up and some of the roofing, and it’s just nice to see the progress after being down for so long,” Williams said.
After construction began on the long-awaited school around three years ago, Williams said they were forced to wait about another year due to soil issues causing delay. Pyrite was found in the original soil at the site, which Williams said was rare for this part of the state, and according to American Geosciences Institute, it’s a mineral that can cause the foundation of a building to swell.
The board had to bring in a company from Canada to determine the problem since it’s so rare. All of the soil had to be completely removed and replaced with new soil, pushing back the finished date of completion.
The site, being a remote location atop a mountain in Clendenin, Williams said that could add to the educational value for the students.
“This setting up here is absolutely beautiful, it’s up here by itself with the trees and everything, it’s a gorgeous setting, so it’s going to be a wonderful learning environment for the kids,” he said.
Mayor of Clendenin, Kay Summers joined the tour Friday, and she said it’s refreshing to see the progress being made after a long time in recovery from the destruction of the previous elementary school from the 2016 flood.
“You have to remember it’s been 7 years, we haven’t had a school, our kids were in portables and they were looking ugly and they were dilapidated, so this is wonderful,” Summers said.
“It’s a beautiful site, I was just talking about how pretty it was up here, and seeing the walls come up on the building, I just can’t wait until we get a roof and doors and our kids are up here going to school,” she added.
The new school is set to come complete with a dental clinic and learning pods, which Williams said is a trend for modern elementary schools. Two classrooms are expected to have the pods, where students will come together for science experiments and large group instruction. 
Williams said the new amenities, along with the new scenery, will heighten the learning possibilities to be provided at the school.
“Really they can do just about anything with it, math, science, social studies, all kinds of things,” he said.
He said the hope is for everyone to be moved into the new Clendenin Elementary School by the 2024-25 academic year.
The new school will be a combination of the old Clendenin Elementary and Bridge Elementary.