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Wood BOE weighs former Fairplains school demolition

By Gwen Sour 5 min read

PARKERSBURG - Repeated break-ins at the former Fairplains Elementary School have left the interior stripped of copper wiring, gasoline siphoned from cars and windows broken, prompting Wood County Schools officials to say demolishing the building may now be cheaper than renovating it.

Safety and Security Director Jeremy Bell and Assistant Superintendent of Operations Kaleb Lawrence described the damage Tuesday during a nearly five-hour Wood County Board of Education meeting.

Bell said the vacant school is being used regularly by law enforcement agencies for training, but officers have also discovered people inside the building and reported theft and property damage.

"I've probably got five or six phone calls that people have been inside the building," Bell said.

Lawrence said the district had initially considered renovating Fairplains as a future maintenance facility. Under the district's long-term plan, maintenance operations would move from Edgelawn to Fairplains, allowing a new bus garage to be built at Edgelawn.

However, Lawrence said the cost of repairing the former school has continued to rise. Vehicles stored at the property have had copper wiring removed and gasoline siphoned, while intruders have stolen copper and damaged the building.

Lawrence said constructing a new maintenance building on the property after demolishing the school could now be less expensive than renovating the existing structure. No action was taken Tuesday, but officials asked the board to consider demolition, which could be paid for from the maintenance budget.

Bell and Safety and Security Coordinator Anthony Harris also presented other security updates. They said the district is developing a behavioral threat assessment team and countywide school safety team.

Law enforcement and fire departments conducted walk-throughs of district buildings during the summer, Bell said. The board later approved $224,287.04 for 68 security cameras across the district and $22,723.33 to add the Caperton Center to the Centegix crisis alert system.

In another presentation, Assistant Superintendent Jeff Kisner, Federal Programs Director Amber Hardman and Hamilton Middle School Principal Dave Pierotti proposed adding a federally funded assistant principal for teaching, learning and student success at Hamilton.

Administrators said Hamilton's enrollment has reached about 590 students, with 209 students, or about 35%, receiving special education services. They also cited an average 14-percentage-point decline across the school's assessment subjects.

Hardman said the approximately $110,000 position could be supported with Title I funds without using general fund money or reducing support for other Title I schools. The employee would focus on curriculum, professional development and student interventions rather than discipline.

Superintendent Christie Willis reported that Wood County Schools ranked seventh among West Virginia's 55 counties in mathematics and eighth in English language arts and science on the state general summative assessments. A detailed presentation and school recognitions are planned for Sept. 22.

Willis also said enrollment fell by 100 students from Aug. 25, 2025, to Aug. 25, 2026, compared with declines of 146 students the previous year and 154 students the year before that.

"We want to be their school system," Willis said. "We want them to come to our schools."

Finance Director Kaylee Litman reported that the district's bond program had about $103.9 million in total funding and income as of June 30. About 97% of the project budget was committed, leaving approximately $3.3 million available, including $2.6 million for Parkersburg High School improvements.

Ryan Taylor and Sean Cottrell with Pickering Associates presented a revised PHS stadium plan that would reduce the proposed visitor-side structure from about 2,000 seats to roughly 1,000 while retaining an overall capacity of about 5,000.

Lawrence also updated the board on 22 bond projects. He said Erickson All-Sports Facility paving was complete, the Parkersburg South High School baseball and softball complex was nearly finished and work was progressing at the new Lubeck, Lincoln and Vienna elementary schools.

The board approved a $27,818.83 change order for window blocking at the new Lincoln school. Lawrence said officials would determine where the blocking is necessary while allowing construction to remain on schedule.

Assistant Superintendent Justin Hartshorn and secretary/accountant Stacy Miller presented a proposed return-to-work and light-duty policy intended to allow injured employees to perform modified work while recovering and reduce workers' compensation costs.

Custodial Coordinator Greg Grant reviewed projects completed by 21 summer employees over 40 days, including painting and pressure washing schools, cleaning classrooms, relocating equipment and mowing 42 school properties.

The consent agenda included construction payments of $900,159.20 for Vienna Elementary, $738,844.41 for Lincoln Elementary and $915,097.47 for Lubeck Elementary. The board also approved expanded Westbrook Health Services mental health services at four schools and $400,000 in school and prevention resource officer agreements.

Following an executive session, the board terminated substitute aide Alan Shultz's contract effective Aug. 4. Board member Debbie Hendershot recused herself.

The board entered a separate executive session to review applications for the Parkersburg and Wood County Public Library Board. After returning to open session, members advanced several applicants to interviews.

The board then entered another executive session and returned at nearly 11 p.m. Officials said no action was taken during the session. The board tabled consideration of the superintendent's goals for fiscal 2027 before adjourning.

Gwen Sour can be reached at gsour@newsandsentinel.com.

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