Wood County Board of Education approves items on Consent Agenda; talks about building ADA compliant playgrounds

PARKERSBURG, W.Va. (WTAP) - The Wood County Board of Education approved multiple items on its Consent Agenda during its bi-weekly meeting on Tuesday night.

One of its main items was approving the engineering and construction services for the Williamstown High School bleacher project to the existing structure with Pickering Associates at a project cost of $114,750.

Back on the board’s October 12 meeting, it approved the proposal cost of $1.4 million to renovate the bleachers. The new bleachers will include two thousand seats, a 300-foot retaining wall, press box and observation deck, an ADA compliant ramp, and full concrete under the bleachers.

In his superintendent update, Superintendent Will Hosaflook discussed a meeting he had last week with essential office staff and parents about building ADA-compliant playgrounds at three Wood County Schools.

“And the number one need that came out of the meeting last Monday or two Mondays ago was a workable surface,” Hosaflook said. “Because they said ‘Mr. Hosaflook, you have to understand our students are exhausted by the time they walk from one playground piece of equipment to the next so the surface has to be very, I guess, mobile to a sense and has to create mobility for children that need special mobility devices.”

He’s looking at Blennerhassett Elementary School, Jefferson Elementary School, and Gihon Elementary School as the schools to receive an ADA compliant playground.

Hosaflook said he’s hopeful for the project to begin by this coming summer.

Another item approved in the Consent Agenda was the change of date for Williamstown High School’s graduation, which will take place at 3:00 p.m. on Sunday, May 22, 2022.

Finally, the board also approved and adopted the academic calendar for the 2022-2023 school year. The school year would start on August 18, 2022, with a whole week off for Thanksgiving and the typical weeks off for winter and spring break. While it was approved, there could be some changes soon, with the possibility of students having a four-day weekend from October 7 to October 10.

Superintendent Hosaflook said he would meet and reach out to the principals to discuss the possible change for the next academic year.

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