LEE COUNTY, S.C. — Plans were announced Thursday to remove a gaping hole in the roof of a Lee County school that raised safety concerns for some parents and community members.
The hole at Dennis Elementary has been there for roughly five years becoming a fixture of the campus experience for students.
News 19 brought the story to the public earlier this month when viewers raised concern.
In Thursday afternoon's school board meeting, Superintendent Bernard McDaniel announced plans to demolish the wing.
"We have received quotes from five different construction companies to have that wing, which was built in 1954, which we were not using, have never used, to have it demolished," McDaniel said.
School leaders and state records obtained by News19 show the building was renovated and cleared for use, despite the roofing issues.
Students have also been using another section of the school while they wait to secure a company to demolish the damaged portion.
“We will be identifying the person who will be the recipient of that job, that project, we will be notifying them tomorrow or Monday," McDaniel said.
In an earlier interview, McDaniel said money was one of the biggest challenges.
News19 reached out to the Lee County School District to find out how much the project will cost and how it will be funded, but did not hear back Thursday evening.
"The anticipated date is to begin the week, the first week we get out for winter break," McDaniel said. "We had thought, at one time, that we could possibly do it during the Thanksgiving break but it will take longer than a week to have this done.”
McDaniel said the project is going to take at least two weeks to complete.