Photo by Eric Ayres Crews from Raze International Inc. of Shadyside continue work at the demolition site of the former Clay School building in East Wheeling. Although the huge, 75,000-square-foot building is no longer standing, a significant amount of work remains to be done at the site over the next several weeks and into this summer, city officials said.

WHEELING – Demolition work in East Wheeling of the former Clay School has proceeded quickly over the past several weeks, but a great deal of work remains to be done at the site over the summer.

Raze International Inc. of Shadyside began demolition of the sprawling, 75,000-square-foot former school building in early April, and crews were able to bring the building down at a swift pace.

“It’s amazing what’s transpired there,” Wheeling Mayor Denny Magruder noted earlier this month when the last remnants of the huge building were coming to the ground. “It’s been done very, very well, and we’re very excited about that.”

City leaders acknowledged the impressive progress being made at the site along 15th Street, but Wheeling City Manager Robert Herron noted that about half of the work at the site still remains to be completed over the next several weeks.

“The Clay School environmental remediation and demolition project is really moving forward, and it appears as though it is a lot further along than 50% because the building is down, but it is about 50% completed,” Herron said. “They are working on the basement and sub-basement, recycling the steel off of the site, and then there is restoration that follows that.”

On Friday, Herron noted that crews were able to continue making progress over this past week. Several pieces of heavy machinery were in action moving rubble and debris around the site late Friday afternoon.

“Much work has been accomplished this week,” Herron said. “The basement and sub-basement work is almost completed. Recycling and backfilling with concrete and onsite material is expected to begin next week or the following week.”

Earlier this year, Wheeling City Council awarded a $459,300 contract for the demolition job to Raze International, which was deemed the lowest and best bidder among six area contractors that sought the contract. The cost of the demolition is being paid with funding from a West Virginia Environmental Protection Agency’s D-LAP (Dilapidated Properties Program) grant and money from the city’s Project Fund.

Asbestos abatement in the facility was completed late last year by Reclaim Co. LLC of Fairmont, W.Va., which was awarded a $498,000 contract for remediation. The majority of that cost was paid through a Brownfields grant from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

According to the demo contract awarded to Raze International, the work must be completed by Sept. 1.

“The project appears to be ahead of schedule, however, the contractual completion date remains the same,” Herron explained.

The Clay School first opened its doors more than 80 years ago and operated for decades as part of the city’s public school system before closing in the 1990s. Several attempts by private investors had been made to bring a new life to the building along 15th Street in East Wheeling, but no ventures to redevelop the property ever took root.

In December of 2021, the city of Wheeling acquired the property. A study about the property’s future was done with input from neighborhood residents and community members, including those who worked and attended classes at Clay School. With the cost to renovate and repurpose the building considered, it was ultimately decided the building should be razed.

City officials noted that once the site is cleared, work should be underway to assemble a funding package to construct a new indoor recreational facility at the site, which is located adjacent to the outdoor fields of the J.B. Chambers Memorial Recreation complex.