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Southern Gap High School groundbreaking draws federal, state and local officials
Summary
Community leaders and federal partners gathered at Southern Gap for a ceremonial groundbreaking marking the start of construction on the consolidated Southern Gap High School, a project supported in part by a 2019 federal supplemental appropriation and coordinated by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and local school leaders.
Sherry Fletcher, the event’s master of ceremonies, opened the Southern Gap High School groundbreaking by tracing the project’s origin to flood-related federal authorizations and years of local planning. “My name is Sherry Fletcher, and today, I am greatly honored to be to serve as your MC,” Fletcher said, welcoming officials, contractors and community members.
Angie McClanahan, chair of the Buchanan County Public Schools board, called the day a milestone after years of meetings and negotiations and said the consolidated school will expand academic and extracurricular opportunities for the region’s students. “This has been a long journey,” McClanahan said, adding that the facility will host academics, vocational trades, arts and athletic events that serve the broader community.
Col. Jason Putman, commander of the Huntington District of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, described the federal role and the project’s link to longstanding flood-risk management work authorized by earlier Congresses. “This really is a special event,” Putman said, noting the partnership between federal, state and local officials.
Curtis Saleslake, the Skanska project manager, introduced the construction and design teams and thanked local and regional partners for years of coordination that enabled the project to move into construction. Saleslake named Branch Builds as the design-build contractor and BMDO Architects as the architect of record.
Event organizers closed the program with a ceremonial shovel-turn attended by elected leaders, school officials and students. The groundbreaking follows a county proposal to consolidate multiple high-school functions at this new Southern Gap site and represents a major capital investment coordinated across local and federal agencies.
Next steps noted at the ceremony include continued site preparation, ongoing coordination with design and construction teams, and community engagement as construction advances toward opening day. The board did not set a public opening date during the ceremony.
