The West Virginia School Building Authority has given the Monroe County district approval to move forward with construction of a K-8 campus in Peterstown.
The Bluefield Daily Telegraph reports that the school will replace Peterstown Elementary and Middle schools. The middle school was built in the 1950s and the elementary school in 1962; both had deteriorated to the point they must be replaced.
"We are just thrilled for the students," says Monroe County Schools Superintendent Joetta Basile. "It's been a long time coming. We are ready to see dirt moving."
The school building authority is providing $21 million of the $24 million project cost; local funding makes up the rest of the cost.
The district is hoping the school will be completed in time for a September 2021 opening.
The new school will have two separate wings, one for pre-K through fourth grade and the other for fifth though eighth grades, but under the same roof.
The school will sit on 40 acres of land on Route 12 a few miles north of Peterstown with a view of the Peters Mountain range.
