In the not so distant future, 26,000 cubic yards of dirt will be hauled into the building site; an initial step in the construction of a new Johnson Elementary School.

 

At Monday night’s Bridgeport City Council meeting, Harrison County Superintendent of Schools Dr. Mark Manchin, Harrison County Board of Education Member Frank Devono Jr. and Lead Architect Thomas R. Worlledge provided a brief overview of the proposed $17 million project.

 

Within the past week – on April 19 – a pre-bid conference was held at the present Johnson Elementary School, drawing 43 interested contractors, Manchin said.

 

“We had a large number interested in bidding this project and we’re real excited about that,” he said. “On May 3, we’ll be opening bids and see how those numbers are within the week. After that, we will reconvene in a special meeting of the Board of Education to award the bid and once the bid is awarded, we’ll probably spend a week to 10 days staging, preparing and getting ready for the project to get started.”

 

The new school will be constructed adjacent to the present Johnson Elementary School and Bridgeport High School athletic fields. Manchin said he envisions actual construction starting sometime around May 15 to May 20. He, along with members of Council, have been asked if the construction would interfere with high school baseball season – specifically the tearing down of the outfield fence.

 

Manchin assured the public that the fence would not come down until the last home baseball game and he said he’s hoping that will be a regional final victory, followed by a fourth state championship for the Indians.

 

Once construction does get underway, the large volume of dirt – 26,000 cubic yards – will be supplied by the contractor for the purpose of raising the building site above the flood plain.

 

“If you’re standing in the Johnson Elementary parking lot and you look straight ahead, it will be six feet higher,” Manchin said.

 

The construction process, which includes demolition of the old Johnson Elementary, will be ongoing for about 15 months with the new school projected to open for the 2018-19 school year.

 

Devono explained that the new educational facility will be very energy efficient with plenty of green space, amenities including a solar wall and solar hot water heaters.

 

Worrledge, who works with McKinley & Associates out of Wheeling, shared the forward-thinking manner in which the school was designed.

 

“This is a state-of-the-art school, not only designed for today, but for 10 years from now,” he said. “It’s a first collaboration for high performance schools in the state - designed to help students learn – with natural light, fresh air and cultural references.”

 

Another initial step in the establishment of the new school will be new restroom facilities for the athletic field complex, an early phase in providing infrastructure of water throughout the elementary school. The new restrooms will be attached to the field house, which will otherwise be expanded, Worrledge said.

 

Manchin said it is indeed a project that the community will be proud of.

 

“I had opportunity to be the executive director of the (West Virginia School Building Authority) which funds schools all over the state – well over $1 billion,” he said. “We built some really beautiful schools but this new complex – Bridgeport High School, Bridgeport Middle School and now the new Johnson Elementary School – will be as nice as any in the state of West Virginia. You can take pride in that fact.”

 

Council member Dustin Vincent spoke about the good working relationship between the City of Bridgeport and the Harrison County Board of Education and the proactive collaboration between the entities on addressing issues during the planning phase rather than dealing with them at crunch time.

In addition to thanking Manchin and the Board of Education for giving the city “a seat at the table,” Councilor member Diana Marra expressed appreciation for giving community members opportunity to provide input.

 

Manchin said among  community members providing thought and insight were Johnson Elementary students, who were asked about what they would like to see included in their new school.

 

“We took suggestions to Tom and he actually incorporated some of them into the design,” Manchin said.

 

On behalf of the Board of Education, Manchin thanked the city for working with them.

 

“For the past nine or 10 months, we’ve prepared for construction and now we’re about ready to start,” he said.

 

Read more coverage of Monday night's meeting HERE.

 

Editor's Note: Pictured from top are Dr. Mark Machin, Frank Devono Jr., Council members Lowell "LJ" Maxey, Dustin Vincent and Jeff Smell; and new Johnson Elementary School Lead Architect Tom Worrledge of McKinley & Associates.