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ELKINS -- The Randolph County Board of Education has voted to earmark $250,000 in the Permanent Improvement Fund to building a new gymnasium at Tygarts Valley Middle/High School.
During the Dec. 7 BOE meeting the Permanent Improvement Fund was established by the Board of Education with an initial deposit of $250,000.
At the Dec. 21 BOE meeting, Superintendent Debra Schmidlen recommended that the Board commit the $250,000 to a new gymnasium at TVM/HS and the recommendation was approved the Board.
Now that it has been committed, the $250,000 in funding can only be used for the gymnasium project, unless the funds are "uncommitted" by a BOE vote at a later date.
At the Dec. 7 meeting, members of the board, along with Director of Finance/Treasurer/Purchasing Brad Smith, discussed several ways to find funding for the gymnasium at Tygarts Valley, including using the $250,000 in the Permanent Improvement Fund. The board agreed to discuss the matter further.
Earlier in the Dec. 7 meeting, after hearing public comment from both Elkins High School and Tygarts Valley High School officials, the BOE gave the go-ahead for the installation of AstroTurf on the playing surface as part of Phase 2 of the football stadium project at EHS.
The second phase of the project will also include the revamping of the track at the school. Phase 1 of the project was completed in October with the installation of the bleachers at the new EHS football field.
Schmidlen recommended in the Dec. 7 meeting's agenda that the purchase of turf/track for the EHS sports facility be made in the amount of $1,646,114.94.
During the public comment section at the start of the Dec. 7 meeting, Tygarts Valley High School principal and girls basketball coach Steve Wamsley asked the board to consider spending some of the funding on a new gymnasium at TVHS.
Wamsley said, "The gym that we play in was built in 1950. My father and I, as well as my children have all played there. I think three generations is enough and I hate to think that my grandkids might be playing there some day as well.
"Safety is a huge issue," he said. "There is a brick wall that is 46 inches from the playing area which is very dangerous, along with many other issues. This is an embarrassing and dangerous situation that has been going on for years at Tygarts Valley. I never thought for one minute that we would have to come down here and explain ourselves."
Wamsley said other teams from throughout the state will not come to the school and play because of the gym being dangerous. He also said the Elkins High School volleyball team refuses to play at TVHS because the ceiling in the gymnasium, which is currently leaking water onto the stage area, is too low.