[NFBWV-Talk] FWD:Article from Hampshire Review News Section 2023 06 07

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From: Article from Hampshire Review News Section 2023 06 07
Date: 2023-06-07T11:56:12
Subject: publications at nfbnewsline.net
To: karenswauger134 at gmail.com


WVSDB preps for needed campus upgrades this fall. ROMNEY The summer months on the West Virginia Schools for the Deaf and Blind campus are going to feel like the deep breath before the plunge when it comes to gearing up for facility and grounds upgrades. If youre driving by the school, passing it as you head up Main Street, it may not seem like much is happening, but its gonna get crazy here this fall, admitted WVSDB Superintendent Clayton Burch. There are multiple projects in various stages underway on campus right now not the least of which being the Blue and Gold building or, as longer-term Romney residents may call it, the old Potomac Academy. The structure is the oldest on campus following the destruction of the Administration Building in a February 2022 fire, and its getting a total facelift, Burch said. The prebid for the project came in at $2.5 million. ZMM Architects & Engineers (out of Martinsburg) is handling the Blue and Gold upgrade, as well as the facelift planned for the entrance of the school. They hosted a brainstorming forum earlier in May to gather ideas and garner discussion among passionate community members about both the expanded entrance to the school, new signage and possibilities for a memorial to the Admin Building. Thats just the tip of the campus-upgrade iceberg at WVSDB, though. McKinley Architecture & Engineering is taking the lead on replacing the roof on the P.E. building and has just installed a campus-wide exterior camera package, Burch said. The school does have security guards, but their rounds through the extensive campus can easily take them an hour. Other bits and bobs of work are adding up on the Romney campus, too: the creek that runs along the grounds is being cleared out, a new high tunnel is going in, and the 20-plus-year-old playground down by the dorms is now gone. It just got old, Burch said, calling it an eyesore and pointing out that the school has other, better, newer playground facilities. Reopening the pool is also on the horizon; it was drained a few years ago, and now after the engineering report, the next step is deciding whether to replace the facilitys tile or go the liner route. The Wellness Center has been very kind, thanked Burch, adding that the Sunrise Summit fitness center has played an integral role in allowing WVSDB students to use their facility. Finally, a new water line for the school is up next for the fall the schools main water line runs from Antigo Place over to the front of the Blue and Gold Building, and theres a line of trees planted directly over the line. Replacing that is on the docket for the next six months, Burch said, which works out since the school has run into occasional water issues. Itll be great for campus, he said. Aside from construction, the campus will be bustling this summer with camps, including the Missoula Childrens Theatres return to Romney, plus camps with NASA, WVU and local first responders. The school has been working on developing its senior internship program, too, Burch said, and by next year the goal is to have every graduating student participate in an internship with a community business for off-campus work experience. The school itself has now entered the app-osphere as well no matter what sort of smartphone you have, you can now download the WVSDB app and receive all sorts of notifications: menus, closings, events, and coming soon, sports schedules and sporting event live updates. This article is provided to you as a courtesy of NFB-NEWSLINE??? Online for your sole use. The content of this E-mail is protected under copyright law, and is not to be distributed in any manner to others; infringement of our non-dissemination agreement is strictly prohibited. Allowing someone to have access to this material is in violation of the Terms of Use agreement that you electronically signed when you signed up for NFB-NEWSLINE??? Online. Please do not forward this E-mail or its attachments to any other person or disseminate it in any manner. Thank you. The NFB-NEWSLINE??? Team.