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Closed Brooke schools will be repurposed

WELLSBURG — With three of Brooke County’s elementary schools slated to close after this school year, school officials are preparing to use them in other ways.

The Brooke County Board of Education earlier entered into an agreement with the Hancock County school board to jointly operate Lauretta B. Millsop Primary School as an alternative learning center for students with behavioral issues.

The two boards have agreed to split the costs for staff, utilities and other expenses for the school. Brooke County Schools also has secured a $54,642 grant for the program.

On Tuesday the board authorized the use of Colliers Primary School as a storage facility for desks, school materials, custodial supplies and other items not currently in use and the use of Beech Bottom Primary School as a storage facility for science kits made available to students by Robert and Libby Strong of the Handle on Science program.

Once a function of Regional Educational Service Agency VI, now eliminated by the state, the Strongs’ program is now a separate entity supported by Brooke, Ohio, Marshall and Wetzel counties.

Rob Robinson, the school district’s facilities director, said the four county school districts also will share in the cost of maintaining the Beech Bottom building.

With the schools set to close, the board also approved the relocation of playground facilities. Playground equipment from Millsop Primary will be donated to the Weirton Christian Center, equipment at Beech Bottom Primary will be donated for Windsor Heights Community Park, and equipment at Colliers Primary School will be moved to Brooke Primary North.

Currently known as Hooverson Heights Primary School, Brooke Primary North will serve children from the Colliers, Weirton and Hooverson Heights areas.

In related business, the board also approved $59,940 in blacktopping by Wilson Blacktop that will include additional rear parking and a new bus loop at the Hooverson Heights school to accommodate additional traffic following the consolidation as well as repavement at the Millsop school and the school bus garage.

It also agreed to pay $11,377 to Gil Thermes Fence Co. for taller fences to replace shorter ones at the Colliers and Millsop schools.

Robinson said the new fences are a security measure and reflect the board’s desire to ensure the buildings remain in good condition.

The board also approved:

• $117,000 for the addition of concrete handicap accessible ramps at Hooverson Heights and Franklin primary schools and a pad at the bus garage.

• $45,150 for an asphalt pedestrian walkway in front of Brooke High School.

• $23,841 in change orders for the new heating, ventilation and air conditioning system at the high school.

(Scott can be contacted at wscott@heraldstaronline.com.)

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