School officials on Aug. 1 authorized a change-of-course on one of the largest "finishing touches" at Alleghany High School's new gymatorium/classroom complex.
That evening's meeting of the Alleghany County Board of Education was interrupted for discussions between Superintendent Duane Davis and AHS
Principal Jeff Peal on lockers for the building's hallway. Lockers had arrived earlier that day and were being assembled and installed at the same time that the board met.
Crews finished assembling the lockers that evening. However, they were not installed at the high school but will likely be used to replace lockers at Piney Creek Elementary School, per a request from Peal and by agreement with Piney Creek Principal Phil Howell.
Officials last week reported that the new gymatorium/classroom complex was complete, except for some mostly minor finishing touches, and ready for use.
Davis said the building received a certificate of substantial completion July 30, and a certificate of occupancy July 31.
"School is going to start on time without any problems," Davis said during the meeting. "Teachers are in there....We're in it, we're occupying it."
It was early in the meeting, just after he had begun to give the facilities report, that Davis received a message and asked for a recess.
After that 15-minute interval, Davis said, "Mr. Peal does not see the need for lockers like Mr. (former Principal Jim) Halsey did."
Davis said there are 646 lockers in the school's main building, about 200 more than the number of students. He said Halsey's intention was to put lockers in the hallway of the classroom portion of the new building because some students' homerooms will be in those classrooms.
Davis said Peal wanted to work out a "trade," sending the lockers to Piney Creek School — which has previously indicated a need for lockers there to be repaired or replaced — and using money allocated for high school lockers elsewhere. "His (Peal's) higher priority is do to some other things in the gym," said Davis.
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