MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — The Monongalia County Board of Education has granted a green light to move forward on a roof replacement at Suncrest Middle School.
After a temporary relocation for a portion of the school’s students and staff due to a roof leak, the BOE approved school officials to move forward on final negotiations with City Construction to complete work that is not to exceed $1.7 million. School Superintendent Eddie Campbell is ready to move forward on final negotiations of the contract, which will also include permission from the BOE to start work before the contract is completely finalized. This will allow for construction to be completed before the 2024 holiday breaks.
“We got the green light from the board to go ahead and ask them to draw up a contract, so we’re ready to go,” said Campbell. “And the board also gave me permission to go ahead and tell them to get started, so that they can get us back in by Thanksgiving,” he said.
The approval to move forward on construction without a formal contract in place stems from the situation that has displaced employees and sixth-grade students to start the 2024-25 school year. After a state inspection of the roof that took place over the summer, it was determined that a leak that had been unaddressed over several years eventually destroyed the insulation in the sixth-grade classrooms and that a complete roof replacement was needed. While other alternatives were explored, Campbell and other school system officials determined a complete replacement was the best course of action in order to not affect students for the whole school year.
“It’s more than the roof, they have to put new tresses on, they have to put new insulation in, they’re reconstructing the top half of that building,” Campbell said.
Despite the relocation, Campbell has reported that a temporary relocation to the West Virginia University Innovation Center has been positive for both staff and students. Despite some adjustments for students who are already transitioning to a new school, the learning environment at the former Mylan Pharmaceutical facility has been praised, with extra compliments given to WVU Innovation Center staff who have helped assist teachers navigate the complex. While the plan is to be out of the Chestnut Ridge Road location before the winter, Campbell noted that the relocation couldn’t have been better given the circumstances.
“The teachers have been great about the move,” said Campbell. “It’s not ideal, but they’ve been so patient, they’ve been so understanding, and the parents have been understanding and patient,” he said.
The goal of the project is to have students back in their traditional classrooms before the end of 2024. For Campbell and other Monongalia County Schools officials, this is expected to be achievable with the help of a previous history with City Construction on similar projects combined with the BOE approval to allow work to take place before agreements are made on a finalized contract. With the plans to keep the temporary relocation of Suncrest Middle School sixth graders remaining temporary, Campbell, along with the rest of the county school system administration, is ready to get the work started as quickly as possible.
“When all is said and done, they’re going to have a good home to come back to, and we’ll be able to survive these first three months of school,” Campbell said.