BECKLEY, W.Va. — Raleigh County school officials are looking into building a new elementary school to defuse a controversy over the present school's location near a coal storage silo.
School board members say they may even approach Massey Energy for help in paying for a new school in the Marsh Fork area.
The current school is about 300 feet from a Massey coal silo, and the Richmond, Va.-based company wants to add a second nearby. That has sparked protests from environmentalists and residents, who also object to a nearby containment dam for a coal slurry pond owned by Massey.
School board President Rick Snuffer says a school in a new location would ease political tension. He estimates it would cost roughly $5 million.
___
