ESTILL COUNTY, Ky. (LEX 18) — Estill County Schools planned for a longer summer break this year with hopes of beginning construction on a new middle school. However, the district is still trying to secure the necessary funds for the project, and ground has not yet been broken.
The current middle school building has significant structural problems stemming from what lies beneath the surface.
"It's pretty evident that we've got some issues," said Superintendent Charlie Brock.
Brock meets with structural engineers several times a year to ensure the cracked, uneven, and bumpy flooring in the middle school remains safe for students.
"The footings are still solid, so the building is safe. It's not in danger of collapse at all," Brock said.
Despite these assurances, some classrooms have been shut down to prevent student injuries.
"There probably will come a point that this building isn't safe anymore, which is why we have it monitored on a regular basis. You'll see we have monitors actually on cracks and we can document the movement," Brock said.
According to the superintendent, the flooring has been problematic since the building first opened in 1997.
"I've been told the New Albany Shale or the pyritic shale wasn't really a known quantity in Kentucky at that time, so they didn't know how to mitigate it," Brock said.
This type of rock beneath the middle school expands when exposed to air and water if not properly sealed.
"We could tear up this floor and put a new floor down but then it would continue to heave and the new floor would crack and heave too," Brock said.
The school district is now focused on the future. Superintendent Brock says they need to secure approximately $58 million to complete a new building successfully. So far, they've been able to secure just under $10 million in local and state bonds.
