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WHEELING – Renovations at Wheeling Park High School could be topped off with a new $1 million roof.

Officials with Ohio County Schools announced this week the school has applied for a $1 million “Major Improvement Project” (MIP) grant from the West Virginia School Building Authority, with the money being earmarked for roof repairs.

SBA representatives were at the school on Wednesday examining the roof. The West Virginia Board of Education is expected to consider approval of Ohio County Schools’ MIP application when they next meet on May 8.

The SBA previously provided Ohio County Schools an additional $27 million after voters approved a $42.2 million bond issue in 2018. Energy savings and American Recovery Plan Act dollars later were added in, resulting in more than $100 million in improvements throughout Ohio County Schools.

More than $25 million of the amount found its way to renovations at WPHS – including construction of a large addition at the front entrance, a new wrestling room and science classrooms, and the transformation of the former media center into the new “Innovative Learning Center.”

The new roof is now being considered to make certain there are no leaks to damage the expensive renovations, explained Superintendent Kim Miller.

“We’re always looking to keep our roof projects updated,” she continued. “It’s such a large square footage, and the grant will be helpful to keep it up.

“Certainly we don’t want leaks hurting the upgrades.”

If the state board approves the application, work on the roof could be started this summer, according to Miller.

“We’re very grateful to the SBA and the community,” she added. “We will continue to upgrade so students have the best learning environment possible.”