By LUKE CREASY lcreasy@hdmediallc.com The Herald Dispatch | October 5, 2021
HUNTINGTON — Work will soon start at the former Sears building at the Huntington Mall, beginning with partial demolition of the inside of the building.
The property, which is owned by Cabell County Schools, will be the future site of the Cabell County Career Technology Center, which is one of four planned new schools in the district.
During Tuesday’s regular meeting of the Board of Education, E.P. Leach and Sons was awarded the contract for demolition work for the new Career Technology Center at the mall. The 100-day contract is worth $683,000, paid for through bond monies. Work is expected to begin in the next couple of weeks, officials said.
The demolition work includes the removal of existing lighting fixtures and ceiling separating the two floors, as well as all floor tiles and fixture walls inside the building.
“Once we remove display walls, it opens up the room for other contractors to work,” said Dave Ferguson, of ZMM Architects and Engineers, the lead contractor for the new building.
He added that fixtures such as the escalators and elevator will remain to keep the structural integrity of the building intact.
“We don’t want to do too much structural work until we find out where all the rooms are going to be,” Ferguson said.
The approval of a contract for Casto Technical Services to install an HVAC system in the gymnasium at the district’s Transportation Department headquarters, worth $85,660, was also approved.
In other business, Gibson Davis, a student at Cabell Midland High School, was recognized by the board for his appearance in Bluegrass Today after stepping in for five-time International Bluegrass Music Association Banjo Player of the Year Kristin Scott Benson, of the Rascals, who couldn’t play an event due to a family emergency.
Bluegrass Today is an online forum for bluegrass fans, writers, musicians and industry professionals. It’s the second time Davis has been published by the outlet. He also received a special shoutout from Bill Cody, DJ at WSM-AM in Nashville, the official radio home of the Grand Ole Opry.
Board members also approved the superintendent’s recommendation to ratify an unpaid suspension of professional employee Todd Parks, retroactive from Sept. 17 and continuing until an investigation is complete and a resolution is reached.