Project progress: Wood BOE gets positive report on Williamstown work
Wood BOE gets positive report on Williamstown work
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PARKERSBURG -- Construction of the new Williamstown-area elementary school is progressing well and design of two other major facility projects is nearly complete.
Chris Campbell, project architect with ZMM, presented the updates at Tuesday's Wood County Board of Education meeting. Construction of the elementary school is under way while officials are in the design phase of Williamstown High School and the Wood County Technical Center.
The board recently announced a delayed opening for the new Williamstown Elementary, which is being built at the site of the former Fenton Art Glass Plant in Williamstown. The need to remediate several areas of the site before construction could begin has delayed the opening to mid-year 2020.
But Campbell said since the remediation was completed, crews have been working quickly and were able to make up nearly two weeks of lost time.
"All I bring is news of progress," Campbell said. "Things are progressing very well at the elementary school."
Campbell presented schematics for the proposed expansion at WHS, which will transform the school into a true middle/high school, serving students in grades 6-12. The renovations include an auditorium, secondary entrance, and additional classrooms.
Campbell said officials have been trying to work within the constraints of the current property to avoid Wood County Schools needing to purchase additional property.
Even so, Campbell said designers have attempted to allow for "the potential to be able to expand this building in the future if the property adjacent was ever made available."
Board members did express some safety concerns with a secondary entrance at the back of the school. Campbell said offices there will be staffed and the doors will be locked. Visitors will have to be buzzed in, he said.
Campbell also presented initial designs for the Wood County Technical Center, which shares a campus with Parkersburg South High School. The center will have additional and expanded classrooms, as well as a second floor.
"The entire building is being renovated, some areas more extensively than others," he said.
The expanded facility will allow some programs currently housed in South, such as the ProStart culinary program, to be moved into the center, Campbell said.
The renovation also will allow the exterior of the building to be redone, Campbell said, which will give the center "its own identity."
In other business, the board held a closed-door meeting with Vienna Police Department Chief Michael Pifer and other law enforcement officials concerning security at schools. The department was widely praised for its fast response to a lockdown at Jackson Middle School on the last day of school in June. Vienna Officer Adam Jones, who is the prevention resource officer at Jackson, was recognized in August for his swift response to a potential threat to the school.
No action was taken when the board returned to open session.
The board unanimously approved hiring Kelley Ray, assistant principal at Hamilton Middle School, as the new assistant principal at Parkersburg High School. Ray will begin the 225-day contract at the beginning of the 2019-20 school year.
The board also approved the expulsion of two students for state code violations. No details were given.
The board's next regular meeting is Nov. 13.