Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SATURDAY, September 16, 1995 TAG: 9509170001
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: C-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: JOEL TURNER STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
The Roanoke County Board of Supervisors voted this week against selling $2.5 million in bonds to pay for air conditioning and other improvements at the school. But School Board Chairman Jerry Canada said a consultants' report on schools in Southwest County "might open the door" for school officials to ask the supervisors to reconsider the project.
If consultants recommend that the 39-year-old school be renovated instead of closed, Superintendent Deanna Gordon says she hopes the supervisors will change their position.
"I'm an eternal optimist. After the consultants' report, maybe we can open this discussion again," Gordon told the School Board on Thursday night.
Gordon held out the possibility that work on air conditioning and other improvements might begin by next summer, if the School Board decides to renovate the school.
The feasibility report will be finished in late October.
An earlier proposal called for Cave Spring Junior to be closed when the county builds a new high school to replace Cave Spring High.
Under that plan, the existing high school would have been converted into a middle school, eliminating the need for Cave Spring Junior.
But school officials have told consultants to consider all possibilities, including the renovation of Cave Spring Junior.
Consultants also are reviewing the option of two smaller high schools instead of one new large school. If that happens and Cave Spring High remains a high school, the county might need to keep Cave Spring Junior open.
Supervisor Bob Johnson said it doesn't make good business sense to spend $2.5 million on a school that might be closed in a few years.
The School Board has spent $500,000 on an elevator and air conditioning for the school's north wing.
School officials have assured a parent that Cave Spring Junior is safe, although its electrical system needs to be upgraded.
Sheila Dorton, who has a daughter at the school, asked board members if the wiring has been checked and whether it is safe for students.
Homer Duff, director of operations and facilities for the schools, said the fire marshal inspects the wiring annually and has found no hazard.
"The wiring is as old as the building, but I know of nothing that creates a health and safety issue," Duff said.
Cave Spring Junior was built in 1956 and had limited renovations in 1959 and 1991. In an assessment of the condition of 10 schools in Southwest County, consultants gave Cave Spring Junior the lowest rating.
Along with Clearbrook and Oak Grove elementary, the school was ranked "below average" in condition, but its numerical rating was lower than the other two schools.
Consultants with a Richmond firm that is doing the study said Cave Spring Junior is inadequate in classrooms, laboratories, its library and cafeteria, technology, furniture, equipment and several other areas.
They said the school needs to be replaced or totally renovated. It is overcrowded, with an enrollment of 910 students and a capacity of 786, they said. Modular classrooms are being used to accommodate the overflow.
Hidden Valley Junior High was rated above average in condition and is operating below capacity. The school has an enrollment of 795 with a capacity of 1,020.
Consultants will propose alternatives on school improvements, including the issue of one or two high schools, at a community meeting next month.
During the next decade, enrollment in Southwest County schools is projected to increase 9.5 percent, from 5,497 to 6,014.
by CNB