Weirton Council moving ahead with Cove School demolition

Say goodbye to Cove School. Weirton officials are moving forward with a proposal to remove the former school structure following Monday’s meeting of City Council. By a vote of 6-0, Council approved the resolution to enter into contract with Pulice Construction Co. of Weirton for the demolition project at a cost of $99,549. Ward 5 Councilman George Kondik was not in attendance. The former school building has been the subject of heated debate over the years as to whether or not it is an historical structure. Sharon Byers-Pepper of the Weirton Historic Landmarks Commission presented council with several documents in an attempt to dissuade progress on the demolition, including a letter from the West Virginia Division of Culture and History, saying a review of the property under Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966 was out of date as it had taken place more than five years ago. “The last time they checked Cove School was in 2002,” Byers-Pepper said. Byers-Pepper said if the review was not done, then she believes there could be additional problems for the city. “I am warning you; you had better look carefully before proceeding,” she said. She also submitted a photo of the tile work that had been installed in Cove School, as well as three other schools in the area in 1939. She also presented documents she found online concerning brownfield grants previously awarded to the area. DuFour said the city has requested a reissuing of the state’s review from 2002, and once it has been received, the city can move forward. The city recently was awarded with a grant of up to $200,000 from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to assist with the project. Weirton City Manager Gary DuFour explained that the grant from the EPA will cover the costs of remediation, such as asbestos abatement, but not for the demolition. “We qualify for that amount only for the remediation of hazardous materials,” DuFour said. City council previously put up $50,000 from the city’s general fund for demolition work on the building. Previously, Weirton Chief Code Official Rod Rosnick said he anticipated the demolition of the former school to take place sometime in October if the contract was awarded. In a related matter, Weirton resident Vince Oliver, while addressing council on other issues, suggested using the property as a concert venue similar to the amphitheater areas set up in Steubenville and Follansbee. (Howell can be contacted at chowell@weirtondailytimes.com)