Beam Signing Draws Crowd to New High School

Elkins Board decides to demolish old gym

Parents, students and employees of the Elkins School District sign a steel beam Tuesday at a ceremony in front of the district’s new high school in Elkins. Once completed it will replace the old building.

Parents, students and employees of the Elkins School District sign a steel beam Tuesday at a ceremony in front of the district’s new high school in Elkins. Once completed it will replace the old building.

Wednesday, January 23, 2013

— People weren’t deterred by late afternoon dropping temperatures to get a first look at the new Elkins High School.

A beam was set up in front of what will be the entrance to the school for more than 100 or so students, teachers and residents to sign. The beam is the final one to complete the skeleton of the building.

At A Glance

Goodbye Gym

The Elkins School Board Tuesday voted 4-1 to demolish the old gymnasium as part of the overall construction project after mulling the decision for the last few months. Superintendent Megan Witonski said renovating the old gym would cost about $475,000 to bring it up to code while demolition would cost about $28,000. The gym was built in the 1950s. School board member Laren Vaught cast the dissenting vote.

Source: Staff Report

“Awesome” was the word 14-year-old Paige Brink used as she wandered along the building’s footprint. A freshman, Brink will move into the school when it opens during the next school year.

Her friend, Megan Ketcher, 17, described the building as “really cool,” saying “It’s exciting that I will finish out my senior year here. I’m disappointed it’s not the whole year.”

The school is expected to be finished late this year.

Greg Ferus, project manager for Milestone Construction of Springdale, said the building is about 30 percent complete.

“We’ll start putting the roof on to get the building enclosed,” he said, standing in the entry lobby. He anticipates the building will be closed in by March.

So far, the weather hasn’t slowed progress, he told Elkins School Board members in a meeting after the beam signing.

The high school will have about 60,000 square feet and cost about $10 million. The price includes $100,000 for demolition of four older buildings on the current campus and some asbestos removal in others.

The building site is a 60-acre tract, west of the existing school, purchased from the Stokenberry family for a school site several years ago.

A resident committee worked with the School District in planning for the new school, including helping to pass a 4.6-mill property tax increase to pay for construction nearly two years ago. The district also received about $6.9 million in state assistance for the project.

School board member Cody Keller, who was elected to the seat in September, said “When you go to school you accept what you’ve got. It’s almost overwhelming. I went to school here, my wife went to school here and it’s so neat that our kids will be a part of this.”

Several members of the School Board are graduates of Elkins High School.

School Board member Bob Warren is a graduate and former principal at the elementary school.

“It’s excellent and a long time coming,” he said. “The safety factor is good. Kids will be in a warm, safe and dry school.”