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Groundbreaking held for Southern Gap High School; site work begins after environmental sign-off
Summary
Community leaders and federal partners marked the Southern Gap High School groundbreaking. Project manager Curtis Elwick said the Department of Environmental Quality approved site work and earth-moving has begun; construction of the building pad is expected by mid-January.
Sher Fletcher, serving as master of ceremonies, opened the Southern Gap High School groundbreaking by recounting the federal and local work that led to the consolidation project and thanking community partners and students.
Curtis Elwick, the project manager for the construction team, told the board and public that the project recently cleared a regulatory milestone: “we received approval from Department of Environmental Quality which is important and allowed us to actually move dirt on site,” and that site grading and erosion controls are in place. Elwick said work on the early-site package is underway and the building pad should be ready by mid-January, after which vertical construction will begin.
Speakers at the event included Colonel Jason Putman, commander of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ Huntington District, who described the Corps’ role in flood-risk management and praised the community partnership that made the relocation and consolidated school possible. Angie McLanahan, identified as the Buchanan County School Board chair, framed the new school as a long-sought milestone that will expand academic, vocational and extracurricular opportunities for the region’s students.
Sher Fletcher asked invited officials and partners to participate in the ceremonial shovel-turn; following the count the project was declared “officially under construction.” Students from multiple feeder schools performed at the ceremony and CTE students showcased program work as part of the community celebration.
The ceremony also reiterated key funding context: presenters noted supplemental federal appropriations connected with flood mitigation programs and referenced the project’s alignment with the federal 202 program and Disaster Relief Act appropriations that financed relocation and construction efforts. Project teams recognized at the ceremony included the Skanska team, Branch Builds (design-build contractor), BMDO Architects and local civil engineers.
Next steps described publicly include completion of erosion and sediment controls, continued site preparation, and contractor work to meet the mid-January pad target. Officials said community updates and student design-build progress will be presented to the board in coming months.
