Park Middle School gym closed, awaiting engineer's report

Nov. 25—Raleigh County Schools officials are waiting on an engineer's report about the Park Middle School gymnasium, but for now the facility remains closed to student activities.

The gym has been closed since the start of the school year, Park parents reported. Student athletes are using the gymnasiums of other schools.

Physical education teachers Derek Franklin and Marissa Sevy said recently that they had not noticed any unsafe conditions in the gym last year and had not been aware there was a problem with the gym.

"We didn't really, necessarily, notice anything, ourselves," said Sevy.

School administrators notified them at the end of the 2020-2021 academic year that the gym would not be used when school reopened.

"It's been challenging, but we've tried to make the very best out of it as much as possible," said Franklin. "As the weather, first semester, has been outside, we've kind of been outside as much as possible."

He said they keep the children on the track field and plan games, while maintaining appropriate social distance.

Raleigh Schools Superintendent David Price said that, based on the engineer's report, crews must repair the current gym or build a new one.

"Structurally, we don't even know if it can be repaired," Price reported. "We have no clue, right now, what steps we're going to have to take.

"Once we get that, we'll be able to decide what steps there are for the gym and what we can do."

Sevy and Franklin said they did not have a preference.

"Just as long as the school gets a gymnasium, it doesn't matter if it gets repaired or a new one (is) built," said Sevy. "As long as the kids have a gymnasium to use for school and sports, that's all that matters."

Multiple engineering firms, sent by the State Board of Risk and Insurance Management (BRIM), have examined the damage to the gym and will notify school officials of the cause of structural problems.

The cost of any potential repairs or the cost of building a new gym is not yet available.

Engineers will turn over their reports to BRIM, which will issue a report for Raleigh Schools, said Price.

He said that he hopes to hear from engineers within the next 30 days.

Price has met with school principal Dr. Joel Harris to update him on the process, he said.

He added that the school district is paying to have two elevators installed at Park Middle.