WASHINGTON HIGH SCHOOL

Site Preparation & Plan

Alpha was awarded the design of the new Washington High School in 2003.  

The site chosen for the new Washington High School was a 58-acre parcel in Jefferson County, West Virginia. The first phase of the project consisted of overall site design and preparation. The second phase consisted of an Erosion and Sediment Control Package, the third phase included the design and construction of the new school, and the fourth and final phase was the design and construction of the new athletic complex. The erosion and sediment control package included three (3) temporary sediment ponds and one permanent pond which would be converted to a storm water management pond.

The property was used as an apple orchard from 1930 to mid-1970 until it was acquired by the Jefferson County Board of Education in 2003. Decades of pesticide use left elevated levels of arsenic and lead in the natural soil. To remediate the land prior to construction of the new school, a Voluntary Remediation Program was initiated with the Department of Environmental Protection. A Corrective Action Plan was begun to strip the top twelve inches (12”) of soil from the entire 58-acre site. 

The stripped, contaminated material was used as fill and buried during site grading operations. Due to the nature of the material, the placement of the fill was carefully engineered to avoid future buildings, structures, roads and parking. And because the material contained elevated levels of contaminants, the entire volume of stripped material was capped with a minimum of eighteen inches (18”) of clean soil.

Design Phase

The new Washington High School houses grade 9-12 and is capable of holding 1200 students initially. The school, located in a high growth area, was designed for future expansion with core facilities to accommodate an ultimate capacity of 1500 students. The athletic complex design included layout and engineering of the athletic fields, grading, utility and drainage.

The two-story structure is designed with science and technology as a key education component. Unique spaces, such as a print technology lab, high tech science classrooms and laboratories, create a high school to be a partner in the economic growth of the area. The project also includes site design, the design and construction of a new sports stadium, athletic fields and all support facilities