May 4—After more than 12 years of pursuing a badly needed school, ground was broken Wednesday on a new elementary school in McDowell County.
Schools Superintendent Dr. Ingrida Barker said the new school, Coalfield Elementary, combines Welch, Kimball and Fall River elementary schools and will house about 500 students when it is complete in about two years.
“It provides the resources our children need in a new facility, an adequately staffed facility,” she said. “Great things are happening for the kids.”
Barker said the new school is beside Mount View high and middle schools, so K-12 will all be basically on one large campus.
“Lots of opportunities are here,” she said.
Barker said the new school is financed through an award of $24 million from the state School Building Authority (SBA), an amount that was initially lower but once the bids came in the school system had to ask for more and…
