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District details Old Fort recovery and orders mobile classrooms for Pleasant Gardens
Summary
Superintendent Dr. Tracy Grit updated the board on repairs at flood-damaged Old Fort Elementary — noting mud up to 6–8 inches, HVAC motherboards damaged, and a realistic reopening target of next fall — and said four mobile classrooms will be placed at Pleasant Gardens for second-semester instruction.
At Monday’s McDowell County Board of Education meeting, Superintendent Dr. Tracy Grit provided a photo-driven operations update on recovery work at Old Fort Elementary and facilities plans across the district.
Dr. Grit showed photos of interior cleanup at Old Fort and said large amounts of mud that covered floors have been removed; he described the mud depth as roughly "6 to 8 inches" in places and said many HVAC motherboards were water-damaged and are being replaced, work the district expects insurance to cover.
"We know a new one will be coming in its place," Dr. Grit said of equipment replacements, adding that some systems are partially operational and that the district needs to reduce moisture content before re-installing surfaces such as the gym floor. When asked about timing, Dr. Grit said a realistic target for Old Fort to accept students would be "in the fall of next year."
As part of short-term classroom capacity planning, Dr. Grit said the district has ordered four mobile-classroom units for Pleasant Gardens Elementary; the units will be sited on the school’s tennis courts and include an interior hallway and restroom access so they can be used as four teaching spaces beginning in the second semester.
Dr. Grit also updated the board on technology work: district technicians completed a weekend server upgrade at the high school to increase bandwidth and filtering, and the district deployed a STARLINK after a fiber cut near North Cove.
Board members thanked facilities and volunteer teams for recovery work and asked district staff to continue posting transportation and route updates online; Dr. Grit said bus routes remain published on the district website and that community stops will be adjusted as needs change.
No formal votes were required for the facilities update; the board’s discussion focused on timelines, insurance and continuing recovery needs.
