Randolph County Superintendent of Schools Dr. James Phares had not been inside Elkins High School since he graduated in 1970. The fond memories of his alma mater were briefly cast aside after he recently took a tour of the condemned building and came away shocked by its condition.

"I guess it would be like going into a building that was dead. It was like stepping into a coffin," Phares said when asked about touring the building. "When I went in there 'hope' and 'promise' were not in my vocabulary."

The superintendent said that before he went inside he asked about the conditions. What he saw, he said, exceeded his definition of "bad."

"I had gone to school in there and not been in there since May 1970," he said. "I did not expect all the other stuff being in there that also deteriorated."

Reflecting on his school days, Phares remembered a place where the cheerleaders would set up their candy cart, locations teachers would stand and an area the students would "mob up" waiting to go back into the building after lunch.

Last October the city of Elkins condemned the structure that has sat vacant since 1993. Inspectors said the building must come down and Phares agrees. After eight months with no action from the Randolph County Board of Education or the city of Elkins, Phares has formed a plan to rid the community of what has been deemed a hazard.

After he was hired, Phares said he would develop a plan to have the building torn down within his first 100 days. It has not taken that long and Phares' plan could have the building demolished by March 2010.

"We have to take the building down," Phares said. "One of the things the board expects me to do is bring the building down and remediate the ground. Not having that building there will open up options for the board down the road."

The first step in Phares' plan will be for the board to hire an architectural/engineering firm. On June 15, the board passed a measure to seek information from firms and Phares hopes a selection will be made by Aug. 1.

"As things come up they (the board) will have an open ended agreement with an AR firm," he said. "People in facilitates can pose a problem and they will find a solution."

According to Phares, the firm would be working on other projects at the same time and would also assist the board in long-term plans for addressing handicap accessibility and fire code violations.

Phares' goal is to prevent the building from collapsing on its own and hopes the demolition will be a turn-key project where one company will take care of all the work.

The cost for the project is estimated at $856,000 on the high end, Phares said. He said the price could drop if a local construction and demolition landfill can take the material from the building.

"It depends on the state of the construction industry when the bids go out," Phares said. "It will be a competitive bid."

Phares said the work will be done in stages with the first step being the abatement of the asbestos in the building and then the removal of the debris inside the building.

"I am hoping to meet with the city council (Elkins City Council) as soon as we have a firm direction," Phares said. "I am looking at an aggressive schedule to tear it down by next March."

Phares said the board has money budgeted for the project, but will have to seek other funding options. That money budgeted is also dependent on the West Virginia School Building Authority bond sale that will provide funds for upgrade projects at Elkins Middle School.