Kanawha County board awards construction and design contracts for school repairs and security vestibules

The Kanawha County Board of Education on June 12 approved several facility projects and selected an architect to design security vestibules funded by the district levy.

The board voted to enter a contract with Williamson Shriver Architects as the highest-scoring vendor to design security vestibules at schools that currently lack them; board members said completion is expected across the levy period and that the program will be completed over the next four years. "All of our schools will be complete," a speaker said when asked about the schedule.

Board members also approved construction contracts: Dan Hill Construction for the Hayes Middle School breezeway enclosure for $1,100,000 (Enclosure 171), Spoke Construction for Flint Elementary School exterior structural repairs at the library for $165,000 (Enclosure 172), and a contract for Sissonville High School elevator exterior structural repairs at $179,000 (Enclosure 173). The board also approved an elevator-repairs and modernization contract with Otis Elevator Company for $1,986,242.35 to update district elevators; the superintendent said funds come from previously approved carryover.

Board discussion on Hayes Middle School noted the office location and how the breezeway enclosure will interact with the school's entry and circulation; the district said it had planned the project for several years with community input. For Flint and Sissonville, board members described structural foundation and separation issues that the contracts are intended to address.

Each contract passed by recorded votes; the board discussed timelines and indicated hopes the Hayes project would be finished before winter, though staff cautioned construction may extend beyond the summer.