School Building Authority Board Member Chris Morris leads the tour of Collins Middle School Tuesday. Behind him, Fayette County Director of Operations David Keffer shared details about the deteriorated facility with Authority Assistant Director of Architectural Services Ben Ashley.
OAK HILL, W.Va. — One voting member of the School Building Authority who will help decide if Fayette County receives funding for a project to benefit more than half the district’s students visited some of the deteriorating facilities Tuesday.
From an upstairs classroom in the condemned two-story structure at Collins Middle School, Fayette County Director of Operations David Keffer pointed out cracks in the masonry walls where water infiltration has corroded steel supports above windows. Those supports are weakened and windows are under increased pressure.
Based on measurements of the exterior wall, Keffer believes the back corner nearest the condemned gymnasium and separate 5th and 6th grade building has shifted more than half an inch over the past few years.
The maintenance team continues to monitor the condemned structures to ensure they don’t pose a threat to the nearly 400 students left on the campus…