RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) — Last week, the Richmond Public Schools School Board voted on an official timeline to move William Fox Elementary students from their temporary learning space at First Baptist, to Clark Springs.
This decision was made even after mold and asbestos were found in the building. Last month, 8News reported that mold re-testing revealed all spaces but the nurses office were clear, and in addition, the roof and auditorium flooring needed to be replaced before the students are able to attend.
A “Mold Post Remediation Assessment” was released online ahead of the school board meeting Monday, May 2, with photos and information proving that the building had been cleaned, and had, with more recent testing, been found acceptable for re-occupancy.
According to the mold testing assessment, “roof leaks appeared to have been the source of the majority of the moisture for mold impacted materials observed in the building. Additionally, pipe insulation was observed to be water and mold impacted above the drop ceiling.”
“The roof is going to experince leaks. We will patch them and address them as they appear. But it is old and it does need replacing ultimately,” Kamras said in response to concerns over the roof.
RPS Superintendent Jason Kamras announced Monday during the school board meeting, that a new development, or demolition rather, would be underway bright and early Tuesday morning at the site of William Fox Elementary.
Kamras said that the first crane would be seen at Fox, beginning to shore the structure and prep for further work to be done.
“Starting at 7 a.m. there’s going to be a little bit of noise as they get to work,” Kamras said as he announced the update. “But that is an exciting development to get the structure shored up which will allow us to do the debris removal, the asbestos abatement, and prep the site ultimately for renovation.”
The board voted for teachers to have May 2, 4, 5, and 6 as days to pack, move and set up their new classrooms. May 3 is a school holiday. The first day of class at Clark Springs was set for Monday, May 9.
