Update: In a unanimous vote, the Monroe City School Board agreed to the $7.5 million dollar contract for renovations at Neville High School. The project is expected to begin next month, with completion in spring 2017.
Original story: The Monroe City School Board is expected to decide whether it will award a $7.5 million contract for Neville High School restoration and renovation to Traxler Construction in their meeting Thursday night.
Traxler had the lowest of three considered bids that the board rejected at its June 17 meeting with a 4-3 vote.
In the aftermath of the vote, board president Rodney McFarland and vice president Brenda Shelling offered up the possibility of closing Neville and building a new school. They expressed concern over the aging structure and potential health issues with the 84 year old building.
Neville’s façade includes concrete parapets that are separating from the building, and they are poised to move further. Rain water flows through drains in the roof into copper piping. Those pipes extend to the bottom of the building. The deterioration of the copper pipe has led many to fear that moisture in the walls has created a health hazard for students.
Supporters of the renovation say the contract amount can adequately cover needed repairs, rather than the system facing questions over how to fund a new facility.
