‘The Right Thing To Do’
MetroNews
Charleston, Kanawha County
The doors at the new Marsh Fork Elementary School in Raleigh County could be open to students two years from now.
State School Building Authority Executive Director Mark Manchin says that is the goal, now that the SBA has signed off on the final $500,000 needed for the project.
On Tuesday, members of the SBA unanimously approved the additional funding which brings the total allotment for the project, just from the Authority, to $3.16 million.
“All agreed this was the right thing to do,” Manchin told MetroNews Tuesday of the Monday vote. “We don’t anticipate any future requests. This is now funded over $200 a square foot which is a quality school.”
Plans for the new school are already in the works.
Next week, the Raleigh County Board of Education could possibly hire an architect to evaluate the two sites being considered as potential locations for the next school, an $8.6 million project.
The current school sits close to a Massey Energy coal silo.
Massey Energy will provide $1.5 million for the new school, while the Annenberg Foundation has pledged $2.5 million. The Raleigh County Board of Education has allocated $1.5 million.
Construction for the new Marsh Fork Elementary School could begin within the next eight to ten months.