The Wood County Board of Education recognized Jayden Mathew, Olivia Rose and Raiden Brewer as the middle school winners of the West Virginia State Science Fair Tuesday at Jefferson Elementary. The board also recognized students from throughout the district for their accomplishments in choir and band. There were also updates on excess material from the new Lubeck Elementary, a presentation on concussion testing from WVU Medicine, and federal programs and special education updates. Read more about Tuesday's meeting online and in the Thursday edition of the News and Sentinel.   (Photo by Douglass Huxley)

PARKERSBURG – The Wood County Board of Education spent a significant portion of its meeting Tuesday night wrestling with how to handle tens of thousands of cubic yards of excess dirt at the new Lubeck Elementary construction site.

In a previous meeting, the board had approved a plan to place the dirt in “Area A” at the rear of the property. Ryan Taylor, president and CEO of Pickering Associates, explained that this originally “made a lot of sense at that time to put that value in the property,” but new information has changed the risk profile.

Taylor said the situation grew more complicated when a previously overlooked water feature at the back of the property was reclassified.

Originally thought to be an ephemeral “ditch” that flowed only after heavy rain, Taylor said further field investigation showed continuous water, tying it to a perennial stream

“We need to reclassify that stream as perennial because it has active water,” Taylor said. “Turns out there’s another perennial stream attached to this one that runs through this proposed fill site.”

He said the board had two options: Place the dirt in “Area A” behind the school site, which now involves a perennial stream and complex engineering, that will cost the district even more, or haul the dirt off-site using contractor Jimmie Harper Construction Inc. at a per�’cubic�’yard cost that has recently increased.

Taylor said there is a disagreement over how much dirt is actually on site. One party estimates 44,000 cubic yards, while his team’s drone and survey data suggest closer to 36,000.

The board was going to vote on Jimmie Harper to remove the dirt in the amount of $13.47 per cubic for hauling off up to 44,000 cubic yards of excess material for a total amount not to exceed $592,680, but board member Ron Tice wanted to change that.

“I’d feel better if we just go with the 22,000 cubic yards,” Tice said. “We’ll pay up the 22,000 whatever the $13.40 amount is, and then, they can come back, and we’ll be more than happy to give the rest.”

Kaleb Lawrence, assistant superintendent of operations, said any delay could cost the district more than just removing the dirt now.

He said the potential delay costs are approximately $5,000 per day, $20,000 per week and $70,000 to $80,000 per month.

“I would fully anticipate if we don’t get some sort of resolution … that we’ll probably be facing that delay claim, that’s my opinion,” Lawrence said.

The board voted 3-2 to approve Jimmie Harper Construction Inc. removing the dirt at the $13.47 per cubic yard, with Tice and board member Debbie Hendershot voting no.

Read more from Tuesday’s meeting in the Thursday edition of the News and Sentinel.

Douglass Huxley can be reached at dhuxley@newsandsentinel.com