Verdunville Elementary closed for safety and cost
- WVOW News
- 30 minutes ago
- 4 min read
LOGAN The future of Verdunville Elementary School is now in question after school officials recommended to close the building due to safety concerns.
Logan County Schools Superintendent George Aulenbacher delivered the news during a public meeting Thursday night at the Chief Logan Convention Center. A meeting that mostly circulated by word of mouth and drew a large crowd to the convention center.
Verdunville Elementary closed back in April following a hillside slip near the school. That rockslide forced students and staff out of the building for weeks while repairs were made. They eventually reopened and the year finished out as usual, but Superintendent Aulenbacher says it’s too risky now to return.
“I don't want to be the one that has to call a parent and say, ‘hey, this side of this mountain came down on Verdunville Elementary.” Aulenbacher said. “I'm just not willing to take that chance. With everything, I always have to err on the side of caution. It's a safety issue.”
Verdunville opened in 1957 and is now slated for a full closure. Aulenbacher said while the decision was difficult, safety had to come first. Trouble began April 8th, a slide behind the school closed Verdunville for the better part of April. No structural damage appears to have occurred. However, the slide left an unsupported wedge of overhanging soil at the top of the rock cut section behind the school, according to the report by engineers with American Geotech, Inc. The overhang is held in place by the root systems of small trees and woody brush that has colonized the cut slope.
Repairs were developed in phases. The first phase consisted of cutting all trees and brush from the lower and upper slopes. Stumps were left in place for support. All the debris from the slip removed and an existing drainage ditch left open. Phase one was intended to be temporary and get the school year finished. Phase two involves a more long-term solution including excavation to lay back the existing upper half of the rock cut slope and add a few benches above the slope to improve stability of the upper overburden.
Aulenbacher reports that Williamson Shriver Architects, Inc. recommended improvements for the nearly seventy-year-old building, including a new roof, HVAC, fire alarms, electrical switchgear, gym stabilization, and a sprinkler system to extend its lifespan and meet code requirements.
“In this process, when we started looking at Phase Two, which is going to be about $600,000 to $700,000, we also asked for a building evaluation,” Aulenbacher said. “When you do a building evaluation, you look at the structure, you look at the electrical, you look at the plumbing. You do the whole nine yards. That report came back on July 21st with a rough estimate around $8 million to bring Verdunville where it would be, and that would take a couple of years to complete.”
This fall, all 110 Verdunville students will be relocated to Omar Elementary School. The two schools will share the same building but operate on staggered schedules to reduce congestion. .
Families also have the option to transfer their children to Logan or Justice Elementary, based on space availability.
Board Members Mark Keyser and Ralph Rodighero were in attendance for the announcement. Keyser said they didn’t know what the announcement was going to concern.
“Anytime you have a school closure, it's an emotional time.” Keyser said. “You know, I've spoke with people about Stollings Grade School.That was my grade school, my dad's grade school, and it's across from my house. I watch it rot to the ground every day. Dr. Allenbacher has talked to us and told us that he would answer questions for us after we had the meeting tonight and brief us on everything that's going on. And the biggest thing we've got to keep in mind is we've got to make this transition as painless and as easy for these kids as what we can. That's going to be the main goal, I'm sure, and that's what we're going to work toward.”
Teachers and parents voiced frustration over the timing of the decision. Those in attendance at the meeting showed more than frustration when it comes to other facilities in need of major repairs. Logan Middle School was delayed opening last year due to work stabilizing the structure and most recently the concessions and locker rooms at the Willis Nesbett Stadium on the island have been closed. Temporary concessions, offices and locker rooms are planned for the upcoming football season.
Logan County Schools has been under state control since October 2022.
PHOTO | A. M. Stone