PADEN CITY — Residents expressed relief and gratitude on Thursday that Wetzel County Circuit Court Judge C. Richard Wilson ruled in favor of keeping Paden City High School open.
Wilson filed his decision Wednesday evening, which means the school will be open for the 2024-25 school year.
Wetzel County Schools Superintendent Cassandra Porter in June ordered the school to be closed, citing environmental and health concerns stemming from PCE, aka tetrachloroethylene, in the city’s groundwater and vapor intrusions in the area. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has said there are “allowable levels” of the chemical in the air.
After an injunction was filed in circuit court by a group of residents against Porter’s action, Wilson ordered that the school be reopened until he made a final decision.
“I think it should stay open,” said resident Brittany Goddard on Thursday while shopping in the city.
Paden City resident Helen McIntyre said she was happy to learn the school would be staying open. She said her children and grandchildren attend school in Paden City and her great grandchildren will attend, too.
“Yay for that,” McIntyre said. “That ruling was wonderful.”
McIntyre’s daughter, Tammy Loy, a 1987 graduate of Paden City High School, also was pleased with the outcome.
“I’m happy it’s staying open. I’m glad he made the decision for it to stay open,” Loy said. “I’m glad it’s staying open for the kids. It’s what the kids want.”
Paden City resident Cathy Amos, a retired school teacher, described the news as “wonderful.” She wondered what will be discussed during the next Wetzel County Board of Education meeting. Amos said she was thankful for the work done by people in the community to make their wishes known. People protested, held candlelight vigils and filled Wilson’s courtroom during a nearly seven-hour hearing. An overflow of people dressed in green and white were outside the courthouse.
“They took it forward and they worked hard,” Amos said of the group.
New Martinsville resident Melissa Anderson said her son attends Paden City High and she’s glad it will be open for him again.
“It’s great,” she said. “I didn’t want my son to go to Magnolia.”
Paden City resident Anita Tarbett believes Porter’s idea was based on wanting to consolidate schools, not health and safety issues. She’s happy the school will be open for the new school year.
“I didn’t like the way she went about it,” she said of Porter.
Paden City native Jan Dunham Macer was back in the city visiting relatives. She now lives in North Carolina, but is still a big supporter of her alma mater. She said they attended the candlelight vigil.
“I’m happy to see Paden City stay open,” she said.
Dunham Macer believes there are some misconceptions regarding small schools like Paden City. Some people think that small schools do not offer a good education, but Paden City has and does, she said.
“I think it’s important to preserve small schools,” she said. “You can get a very good education and go on to do great things.”
Dunham Macer believes the idea of consolidating the schools may be better received if more planning goes into it.
“They don’t want the rug pulled out from under them,” she said.
Regarding environmental issues, Dunham Macer believes the EPA will let residents know if levels of PCE ever become too high.
“I think any reasonable person would be like, we need to do something,” she said.
Wetzel County Board of Education President Linda Fonner released a statement regarding the decision.
“As president of the Wetzel County Board of Education, I am appreciative of the time and attention paid to this matter. The Wetzel County Board of Education will continue to operate within our mandate to serve the students of Wetzel County,” Fonner said.
“I support Superintendent Porter’s role in protecting students’ health, safety and welfare. I am confident she will continue to prioritize the success of Wetzel County schools, always operating in the best interests of our dedicated staff and exemplary students.”
In his ruling, Wilson said what Porter was claiming about environmental concerns and what was being reported by the EPA did not match up. He also ruled that Porter ultimately did not have the “statutory authority” to close the school.
Wilson ordered that the school be opened immediately and “kept open as if it never closed.”
“This court orders that all teachers, faculty and staff be reinstated and direct that any positions that have been vacated because of this illegal closure be filled,” the order states.
The document also orders that all equipment be returned to the school, and that the WVSSAC suspend any prohibitions related to allowing students to participate in sports teams and marching band this school year.
Last November, the results of a vapor intrusion study conducted by the U.S. EPA were revealed during a Paden City Groundwater Superfund Site meeting hosted at Paden City High School’s multi-purpose room.
Officials noted there was one anomaly believed to have been caused by paint and other chemicals inside an art classroom.
At that time the EPA said it planned to conduct more vapor intrusion studies starting last January on homes inside the area where it has detected soil samples contaminated with the chemical. The origin of the PCE, they said, comes from an old dry cleaning business, Band Box Cleaners, that likely dumped or spilled the chemicals decades ago. The business has been closed for several years. Soil samples showed the Band Box Cleaners is the “hot spot” for the PCE contamination, and is the location where remediation will likely occur.
Testing for PCE in the city’s water has been ongoing since an electrical outage caused the water treatment plant’s air stripper to stop working. A subsequent valve failure led to the city’s water system becoming tainted with the chemical.
It took weeks of flushing the system to rid it of the tainted water. During that time residents were told not to drink the water or use it for bathing or cooking.
Since then, testing has been conducted five times a week with results showing the level is still below allowable limits. The air stripper, EPA officials have said, is doing its job.
The plume of PCE in the city’s underground aquifer has been described as “fairly large” with the strongest areas of it appearing under and beside the dry cleaner building.
Officials noted after additional vapor intrusion testing, a feasibility study for remediation likely would start in 2025.