Photo by Joselyn King Ohio County Schools Superintendent Kim Miller checks the progress on clean up and renovations in the board of education meeting room. Flooring has been removed, but the wainscotting will remain.

WHEELING – The Ohio County Schools central office property in Elm Grove doesn’t sit along any stream, but that didn’t stop maintenance workers from finding a dead fish in the parking lot within the last two weeks.

The fish was a memento of June 14 floods that sent about a foot of water and mud into the central office building and board of education meeting room annex. The offices have been relocated to Steenrod Elementary School as cleanup and needed renovation takes place.

Trucks from Panhandle Cleaning and Restoration could be seen in the parking lot Tuesday.

All the mud is now gone from inside the buildings, and no residual smell of dirt and mud remains.

Superintendent Kim Miller came to view progress on the building Tuesday, and was pleased to see the new drywall had arrived. It sat propped against walls in the center hallway waiting for installation.

There was also some clean pink insulation sitting available, and some had already been placed within the walls.

Bob Contraguerro, owner of Panhandle Cleaning and Restoration, has promised needed work will be completed by Aug. 15 before teachers return to classrooms and students return. This will give central office staff time to move out of Steenrod, re-settle into offices, and free up the space at the school, Miller explained.

Flooring on the main floor of the central office building and annex has been removed, as have sections from the bottom of walls touched by water. Ohio County Schools is working with Carpets by Jamison on the installation of new flooring, and Wheeling Office Supply to obtain new furniture.

The boardroom annex was constructed just after flooding last hit the offices in 2004.

Miller said Ohio County Schools learned a lot of lessons from the 2004 flooding that resulted in less damage from the 2025 flood. To start, electrical outlets were placed higher off the floor when the building was renovated. Water didn’t touch the electrical wiring this time around, and the wiring doesn’t need replaced. Also, items stored in the basement this time were placed on shelves and not sitting on floors when the flooding happened. Records, books and other items there weren’t damaged.

Tiled basement floors won’t have to be replaced, but will be disinfected, Miller said.

The board of education meeting room shows the damage that has occurred both in the annex and the main building. Newer flooring that was installed in recent months had to be removed, and insulation is peaking out from the bottom sections of wainscotting in the room. The majority of the blue wainscotting will remain, she said.

“It’ll be OK,” Miller continued. “We just need a bit of time.”

The Ohio County Board of Education is set to meet at 6 p.m. Monday – not in the boardroom, but in Wheeling City Council chambers at the City-County Building in downtown Wheeling.