SPENCER'S MIDDLE SCHOOL GYM ALLOWED TO STAY OPEN

(12/17/2008)

The WV State Fire Marshal's office had ordered Spencer's Middle School gym closed. Now, the Roane County School Board is creating a plan for corrective action that will enable the facility to stay open. The State Fire Marshal's Office moved to close the Spencer Middle School gym because it fails to meet the capacity standards compared to the number of exits. Roane County School Superintendent Steve Goffreda says after a very productive meeting with the fire marshal, they've reached an agreement. Goffreda said "It's being used presently. It was scheduled to be shutdown on Christmas Eve, but now because we're going to present them with a corrective action plan, they're going to let us keep the gym open." A plan calls for the removal of a portion of the gym's bleachers to reduce the seating capacity to 499 people. "We'll be removing every other row of bleachers. We're also going to post signs in several locations stating the maximum capacity would now be 499. It used to be over 800," he said. A more permanent solution will be addressed next summer when the county constructs a new set of steps at the rear exit of the gym. Goffreda says the gym doesn't have nearly the crowds it once did when it served as the high school gymnasium.

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