BLAND COUNTY SCHOOLS GET READY FOR STUDENTS TO RETURN

AUGUST 1, 2017

(Bland County, Virginia) – The summer months have been busy at the campuses of Bland County Elementary School and Bland County High School. Several improvement projects have been completed or are underway in preparation for students and teachers to return. 

Some of the improvements at Bland County Elementary include revitalized front entrance stairs, improvements to the bathroom next to Wagner Auditorium, sewer line repairs, and various other maintenance improvements. The steps in front of the school were in great need of repair. The new steps are not only safer for the pedestrian traffic, they are also more visually appeasing as visitors approach the school. 

The major enhancement to Bland County High School is parking improvements and improved access to the school. The parking lot has been paved and the sidewalk in front of the school replaced. These improvements were drastically needed compared to previous parking conditions.

Improvements to the school facilities are the result of various groups working together. Effective July 1, the County and the School Board combined maintenance services in an effort to more effectively perform projects across the county. The Bland

Correctional Facility and the New River Valley Regional Jail, both sent work crews to help with various projects at the schools. The Bland Correctional Center helped construct a storage facility to house the cafeteria freezer and the Regional Jail work crew helped with clearing brush and fence line at the sports complex in Bastian. 

These projects were made possible due to donations received in materials and in other funding to offset the costs. In total, over $200,000 in improvements were made at the schools this summer. 

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