At Wednesday night’s Board of Education meeting, CCSD Interim Superintendent Jennifer Scott updated the community on the condition of the West Broad Street School.
Back in early October, there was a fire at the West Broad Street School. The Athens-Clarke County Fire Department reported the cause of the fire as arson. To prevent future vandalism, the fire marshall recommended cleaning up the interior. It was also determined that building needed to undergo asbestos abatement. The following week, the Clarke County School District Board of Education approved $142,000 for the cleanup process.
In her update Wednesday, Dr. Scott stated that the asbestos abatement was already underway. Looking ahead, she said several trees causing roof damage would be cut back to allow for the roof to be properly tarped.
Additionally, CCSD staff member Veronica Jackson is developing an RFP to find a structural engineer to do a full assessment of the property. The hope is that the assessment will be completed in time to present the results at the January board meeting.
Meanwhile, Dr. Scott said there will be a series of public information meetings to keep the community informed throughout the process. The first of these meetings will be on December 2nd. There will be two held that day – one at 10am and one at 5:30pm. Both meetings will be livestreamed and recorded. There will also be an online feedback survey so the public can provide input on the project.
Dr. Scott said the Board was excited to get the traction needed to get the rehab process going, “…so that it truly is a part of our CCSD family that is used for programming that will support the needs of our school district.”
The next CCSD Board of Education meeting will take place December 11th.
