Two more historic structures in our region are coming down. Demolition work has begun on the old Iaeger High School, and the historic Big Creek High School facility will be coming down as well before Christmas.
While Big Creek High School was initially the subject of strong community interest with hopes by town officials and concerned citizens for the building to serve as a museum and a source of business growth, the rapid deterioration of the structure since 2005 has made that option cost prohibitive and an impossible venture, according to War Mayor Tom Hatcher and McDowell County School Superintendent Jim Brown.
As a result, the old school that helped educate the Rocket Boys of McDowell County, and was featured in the 1999 motion picture “October Sky,” is coming down.
After demolition, the old high school property will be used to provide students with a playground and needed parking. The new Southside K-8 facility is located adjacent to the old high school.
Brown said both the city of War, and the Board of Education, were able to reach a collective decision on the demolition.
While it is always sad to see historic landmarks in our region fall, it appears school and city officials had little options in War due to the prohibitive costs associated with renovating a structure in a state of serious deterioration.
As correctly stated by Brown, both the old Iaeger High School and Big Creek High School facilities served for several decades as respective pillars in their communities.
However, change is inevitable with time. Gone are the Owls and the Cubs. Standing tall today are the River View Raiders — a school and a football team that made its mark with a convincing victory over county rival Mount View during its opening weekend.
Students in McDowell County are now benefiting from new state-of-the-art schools such as River View, Southside and Mount View Middle. And the construction isn’t finished yet. Work will be getting underway soon on a new Iaeger Elementary once the demolition of the old high school is completed.
The future continues to look brighter for youngsters across McDowell County.
Editorials
September 7, 2010
Sensible solution — Demolition best option for schools
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