(Photo by Shelley Hanson) Marshall County Board of Education President John Miller and Superintendent Shelby Haines look at renderings of the future Riverside Elementary School.

MOUNDSVILLE – Marshall County Board of Education members received an update on the future Riverside Elementary School.

The new school, which will replace Center McMechen Elementary School, is slated to go out to bid in the next six to eight weeks, said Christian Rivera, project manager with McKinley Architecture and Engineering.

Once work begins, Rivera estimates construction will last 18 to 24 months.

The school, which will be home to the Riverside Royals, will sport the colors royal blue and gold. The official mascot will be a lion cub, said Principal Arica Holt.

“During our professional learning days, it was one of our line items to come up with the school name,” Holt said. “There was a lot of input from other people. We wanted something neutral because we are not combining Benwood and McMechen; we’re already combined. … So we thought something new and innovative. And why Riverside? Because we’re on the river.”

The Royals mascot, she said, follows John Marshall High School’s lead, whose mascot is the Monarch.

“So we’re the baby lion, the cub,” she said.

Rivera presented a video showing board members what the exterior and interior of the new school will look like. One area featured was the high school-sized gymnasium that includes a stage. Once completed, the gym can also be used by the community as an emergency storm shelter, as it will have backup electrical power.

Superintendent Shelby Haines said that during the planning process, school officials worked with architects to ensure the building has safe areas for pickup and dropoff of students of all ages. There also will be additional rooms to allow professionals to come in and provide extra support for students who need it.

There also will be preschool rooms and a preschool playground. Plans also include aftercare at the school.

Marshall County Schools received $9,213,555 in West Virginia School Building Authority funding for the new school, which will cover about 70% of the overall cost. The remainder will be covered by tax levy funds earmarked for the project.

The original school was built in the 1970s, with the gym added in the 1950s. The new school will be built on land purchased more than a year ago in the Fourth Street area of Benwood. It offers about 7 acres.

The new school’s address will be 1 Fourth St., Benwood.