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Former Ohio Valley University site floated as location for new Vienna school

By Douglass Huxley 6 min read

PARKERSBURG -- The Wood County Board of Education is looking at a new site to build an elementary school in Vienna after receiving an offer to build on the former Ohio Valley University (OVU) property.

West Virginia University at Parkersburg President Torie Jackson spoke to the board Tuesday and said the WVUP Foundation is willing to convey an undetermined number of acreage to the board, which includes the former soccer and baseball fields, to build a new elementary school for the district.

"This is a wonderful opportunity for our community," Jackson said. "The strategic location next to the college campus will provide great benefits for students of all ages."

OVU shut its doors in December 2021, amid financial and academic struggles. WVUP announced in the summer of 2023 it was purchasing the 225.22-acre property for $4.6 million as part of a $10 million gift from The Ross Foundation, the largest in the school's history.

The WVUP Foundation, the school's fundraising arm, closed on the purchase just before Thanksgiving 2023.

Board President Justin Raber expressed excitement about the opportunity.

"This strengthens the already strong relationship between our school district and WVU Parkersburg," Raber said. "It's a great example of how we can work together for the benefit of our students and the community."

Superintendent Christie Willis said after completing Phase I of the Jackson Park site, which included core samples and studies, they learned it was going to cost more than anticipated to build on that site. She said the district was still planning to move forward at Jackson Park when they received this offer.

"She (Jackson) knew we were in a financial situation with the Jackson site, and then she made this generous offer to us," Willis said.

She said nothing is determined yet and that the initial land swap deal with Vienna hasn't been discussed with the board. Vienna Mayor Randy Rapp declined to comment Wednesday as he wanted to speak to the city council at their meeting tonight.

Ryan Taylor, president and CEO of Pickering Associates, advised the board to do their due diligence on the OVU property, such as environmental and archaeological studies, as well as geotechnical investigations.

"We know a lot about the property, we've been doing a project for Dr. Jackson up there. So there is some synergy. But you should still do these steps," Taylor said. "I think that can be done rather quickly, and that should be a very important part of the next step."

Pickering is working with WVUP with their planning of a $31 million innovation and technology center on the property, focusing on programs like computer science, cloud computing, and mechanical engineering. Jackson said the university also plans to include a daycare facility and workforce development programs.

Plans for the WVUP project include a new 12th Street extension to serve as the main entrance to the campus and provide a dedicated access road to the property. Taylor said the development of the bypass represents an important piece of infrastructure that will help facilitate the successful co-existence of the new elementary school and the university's expansion plans on the former OVU property.

"The cool thing is that the property is separated pretty well, so we would be able to be building the new elementary school while she's (Jackson) operating her new university," Taylor said.

He said the goal is to have the 12th Street extension open by Aug. 25, 2025, in time to serve both the new elementary school construction and the initial phase of the university's innovation and technology center.

In addition to the plans for the new elementary school on the former OVU property, Taylor and T.J. Tharpe, from McKinley Associates, also addressed updates regarding the new Vienna Elementary School.

Tharpe said they are planning to downsize Vienna Elementary by 20,000 sq. ft.

"We're going to design Vienna to an enrollment of 522 students," Tharpe said. "Currently it's at 676 that's what makes the school so large. We're going to downsize to 522 students for that project."

This reduction in enrollment size will require the district to undergo a redistricting process to determine new student boundaries. As a result, some students who currently attend Vienna Elementary or Neale Elementary may be reassigned to Greenmont Elementary. To accommodate these potential boundary changes, the district has submitted a request to the School Building Authority (SBA) for the construction of a new bus loop at Greenmont Elementary.

This bus loop project is part of the district's Comprehensive Educational Facilities Plan (CEFP) update, which must be submitted to the state for approval before the December funding awards.

Later in the meeting, Wood County Schools' safety coordinator Jeremy Bell outlined a multi-faceted approach to enhancing school security and emergency preparedness.

"When I got here, I set certain goals for myself, because I came in and wanted to see, what do we do well? What do we do that is not so great," he said. "So, how am I going to keep these kids safe in the school? That's the number one goal."

Bell, a former police officer, emphasized his top priority of keeping students safe and the importance of open communication within the school system. He detailed several initiatives, including establishing emergency buckets in each classroom, updating the radio communication system, and improving the camera surveillance in schools.

He said to address the need for a coordinated response, he plans to hold quarterly safety meetings, inviting key stakeholders such as law enforcement, EMS, and the 911 center. This collaborative effort aims to ensure a comprehensive and cohesive approach to school safety.

Former Vienna Police Chief Mike Pifer talked about the potential implementation of an armed security team. He highlighted the need for legislative support and addressing liability concerns, as school security personnel would not have the same qualified immunity as law enforcement officers. Both Pifer and Bell have been working with state legislators to draft bills that would provide a framework for armed security teams in schools, should the district choose to pursue this option. They emphasized the importance of quality and sustainability in any security measures, cautioning against a "willy-nilly" approach.

"It's got to be a whole package," Pifer said. "Anytime you talk money, sustainability, quality, it's OK to start with phase one. It doesn't have to be some giant thing. So start small and work those details out. And (see) what works for you."

The next regular meeting of the board of education is scheduled for Oct. 22. The meeting will be held at the board offices at Plum and 13th streets in Parkersburg. The meeting is open to the public and will be streamed online.

Douglass Huxley can be reached at dhuxley@newsandsentinel.com

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