The Clay County School Board approved a bid for asbestos removal Thursday night for the old high school gymnasium and central office boiler room.
A Brownfield Mediation Grant from the state will pay for the project. School Board Chair Benji Bailey said the approval will help the system figure out the best course of action in the facility.
“We knew there were concerns obviously with the age of the building and the condition of the current building that not only we are in but across the parking lot here,” Bailey said “So there were actions taken to identify that in step one of this process.”
Bailey said the board plans to address other issues with the building after the asbestos is removed.
“That will take a lot of liability off of our school system because that is very difficult for a school system to fund and take care of those things in addition to our normal operating budget. So we’re grateful for the grant.”
Montrose Environmental Solutions will provide the service. Residents have asked about using the old gym and other adjacent areas for a community center or other use. School officials could not move forward with any plans before the asbestos removal took place.
