CHARLESTON, W.Va. — The Kanawha County Board of Education on Thursday approved a contract for demolishing one of the schools destroyed in the June 2016 flood.
The board accepted a $149,888 contract with Fairmont-based ReClaim Company LLC for tearing down Clendenin Elementary School. According to Chuck Smith, the school system’s executive director of facilities and planning, the demolition work should begin by late April.
“It should take approximately four weeks,” he said.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency will reimburse the school system for the project. As the fifth anniversary of the flood approaches, Smith noted projects involving multiple government agencies have to be thorough, which can be time-consuming.
“Kanawha County Schools wants to ensure we are in total compliance with all the requirements prior to moving forward on anything,” he said.
The elementary school and Herbert Hoover High School were damaged in the June 2016 flood.
Earth removal efforts and placement of stormwater piping have begun at the site of the new elementary school. The school is scheduled to open in the fall of 2022, but Smith noted delays related to the coronavirus pandemic could impact the opening date.