Wheeler BOE Gets Update on Hurricane Damage

An update on damage caused by Hurricane Helene and personnel recommendations were on the Wheeler County Board of Education’s agenda at its regular monthly session on Tuesday, October 15.

“We were pretty lucky, but we have some work to do,” Gregory Wilcher, Director of School System Facilities, said of the damage to school buildings brought about by the hurricane. Across the county, trees, power lines and buildings were brought down as 75100 mph winds pummeled the area in the early morning hours of September 27.

Wilcher said the new school weathered the storm well, with very minor damages to its metal roof, but the system’s ball field and buildings on the old elementary school campus sustained heavy blows. The storm took out the six metal roll-up doors on the bus shed and sent a tree through the concrete wall of the warehouse. Fencing at the site was destroyed. At the school ball field, the new batting cage was damaged, as well as the dressing room/concession stand building, bleacher covers and the dugout on the visitors’ side. Also, newly-installed fencing around the field was totaled during the storm.

Since work on new lighting for the baseball field did not begin until October 15, the storm did not impact this project. Luckily, power crews had already taken down the old lighting in this area prior to the hurricane. “The football field lights held up well,” Wilcher said, noting new lighting for this field will not be undertaken until after the baseball field lighting is completed.

The Georgia School Boards Association (GSBA), and its preferred contractor, BELFOR Property Restoration Company, visited Wheeler School on October 1 to begin assessment of the storm damage, which will be covered by the system’s insurer.

Interim Superintendent Dr. Quent Floyd praised the community’s response to Hurricane Helene. “The Hurricane was trying for everybody, but the way the community responded made me proud to work here and to see all of the teamwork and people stepping up to help.” Floyd, who commutes to work from his home in Bleckley County, said when a television reporter interviewed students from Wheeler School, they all said the same thing: “We went and helped our neighbors and our neighbors helped us.” Floyd commented, “That should make us all proud.”

Board Chair Michael Morrison thanked Dr. Floyd for his efforts to keep the Wheeler Schools in motion following the storm. “Dr. Floyd, thank you for all you have done.” The Wheeler County School System was the first in the area to reopen following the hurricane.

Personnel Recommendations The Board approved the following personnel recommendations: Hiring Patricia Marsters as a substitute lunchroom worker; hiring Neal Clark as a high school substitute teacher; hiring Donna Horne Wilkes as a middle school and high school substitute teacher; hiring Thomas Dewayne Bynum, Kori Hughes, Janet Goodberlet, Mary Amanda Towns and Heidi Woods as substitute teachers and naming Gary Beasley, a Middle School coach, as Wheeler Middle School Athletic Director.