Almost $12 million in improvements made to Mercer County Schools
Sep. 21—princeton — Over the last two years, Mercer County Schools facilities have seen improvements such as new air conditioning and new roofs as well as a commercial-grade kitchen supporting a new culinary program, and funds are now being sought for even more upgrades.
A variety of updates, upgrades and renovations have been done at Princeton-area schools during the last two years, according to Amy Harrison, data and information specialist for Mercer County Schools. Money from the American Rescue Plan, Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief, local and excess levy funds were used for these projects with a total cost of almost $12 million.
Improvements include a new heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) system, new paging system, parking lot paving and student restroom renovations at Princeton Senior High School. Restroom renovations were done at Princeton Middle School, and Princeton Primary School received a new HVAC system and parking lot paving.
"Our maintenance staff along with Mr. Tom Adkins and all his staff have been amazing," Superintendent Edward Toman said Friday. "They've been overwhelmed with a lot of work and all those things, but just everything from roofs to air conditioning, windows and all those things that need to be better."
Melrose Elementary School and the Mercer County Early Learning Center both received new windows and a new HVAC system. A new roof and a new culinary classroom with a restaurant-grade kitchen were added to the Mercer County Technical Education Center.
Principal Danielle Farmer of the Mercer County Technical Education Center said the new kitchen is a big improvement over the former facility.
"We had a very small kitchen that was just one side of what our current kitchen is, and we never had a culinary program," Farmer said. "So when we started our culinary program, our students actually built this. It's been open for two years now. It's commercial grade and it allows them to do a lot of activities out here. They can cater small events and it gives us a lot more capability to do things than we had previously."
Culinary students were practicing their skills Friday during an event at the nearby Chuck Mathena Center.
Melissa Meachum, culinary, baking and pastry instructor at the technical education center, was guiding her students while they made sure their guests were being served.
"It's a phenomenal laboratory for my kids to work in," Meachum said. "And it's got all of the equipment they would use in a real setting. It's been wonderful. The enrollment is actually up this year. I don't know if that's due to the new facility, but we have more kids interested in the program this year, probably because of that."
The county school system is now seeking state funding for more improvements, Toman said.
"Absolutely," he said. "We just submitted a big project to the (West Virginia) School Building Authority. We have to present that to them in November. We gave them the document that we're trying to do a huge renovation to the tech center and make it be such an exciting opportunity for southern West Virginia and Mercer County; but it's renovating, bringing some things up to grade and a new building addition to it, maybe partner with New River (Community and Technical College). We're waiting to do that. We've got to go and tell our story about it and hopefully the SBA will award that project to us."
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