Tazewell High and Middle Schools to receive much-needed facility upgrades

TAZEWELL, VA (WVNS) – The Tazewell County Board of Supervisors and the Tazewell County Public Schools’ Board decided on three big projects to focus on in their local schools.

One project focuses on bathroom renovations at Graham, Richlands, and Tazewell High Schools. County administrator Eric Young explained these schools are aging, going on about 70 years old, and these bathrooms certainly require extra attention for safety measures.

Out of all the schools in the county, Tazewell High and Middle Schools will be getting some much-needed love.

“At Tazewell High School in the gymnasium, there is a crack in the wall. It is not a safety concern or anything, but we have been advised that it is something that we need to fix now before it could become something. So, Thompson & Litton’s engineering firm, they are going to come in and bring their experts to take a look. Then we will move forward with whatever kind of construction that needs to take place,” said Dr. Chris Stacy, the superintendent of Tazewell County Public Schools.

The third project is a contract with Trane to replace the heating system at Tazewell Middle School, as they switch to propane.

“This is progress. We are moving ahead. We are going to try to to ensure that our teachers have a safe place to teach and work, and that our students have a safe place to learn,” said Young.

Superintendent Dr. Chris Stacy said it is important they get these projects completed correctly, so these schools can continue to be desirable destinations.

“If we replace the heating system and pay for the engineering we approved, we estimated the bathroom repairs will be about a $1.5 million. We will find that out from the engineers. We also estimated the structural repairs at Tazewell High School to be a million. If those hold true, then we should have about $1.8 million left to spend on some other issues. We have asked the school board to do some assessments of our other properties and see what we may need,” added Young.

Dr. Stacy mentioned another boiler project may be on the horizon, this time at Tazewell High School.