Permits in place, progress expected on Park gym

Josephine Moore, The Register-Herald, Beckley, W.Va.
Updated ·2 min read

Jul. 13—Construction of the new gym at Park Middle School has been slow going but is expected to pick up soon following the approval of several measures at the Raleigh County Board of Education meeting on Tuesday.

During the meeting, board members approved a stormwater maintenance agreement with the Beckley Sanitary Board for the construction project at Park Middle School.

Raleigh County Schools Superintendent Serena Starcher said the approval of the agreement will allow contractors to obtain the necessary building permits, which have stalled progress thus far.

Starcher said the contractor, Radford and Radford, has been able to clear the area where the new gym will be built but has not been able to do more without the permits.

In May, the Raleigh County Board of Education approved a $7.254 million contract with Radford and Radford for the construction of a new gym at Park Middle.

Construction on the new full-sized gym is expected to take 12 months and open for the 2024-25 school year.

The school's current gym, located on the opposite side of the school from where the new gym is being built, was initially closed at the end of the 2020-21 school year due to structural problems.

Assisting in the funding of the project is the West Virginia School Building Authority, which approved a $1 million grant for Raleigh Schools for the demolition and construction of the new facility.

The remainder of the funds will come from local school funds.

Also approved at Tuesday's school board meeting was a contract with the company that will serve as the clerk of the works for the gymnasium project.

Starcher said a company called Skanska, which has done similar work for Fayette County Schools, will serve as the clerk for the Park Middle project.

She added that the role of the clerk of the works is to oversee the project and ensure it's on schedule.

"Skanska will provide a clerk of the works five days a week. Anytime the contractor is on-site, the clerk of the works will be there three to five hours per day," Starcher told board members.

Email: jmoore@register-herald.com