BURLINGTON, Vt. (AP) — The Burlington School Board has decided to pursue building a new high school due to chemical contamination found in the existing school.
The school board in Vermont’s largest city voted unanimously Tuesday to end efforts to remediate the existing building and instead construct a new school though the location has not yet been determined, WCAX-TV reported.
The contamination prompted school officials to close the school last year. Initially, students were educated from home. In March, the school moved into an empty Macy’s department store, which is now known as the Downtown Burlington High School.
“I believe strongly we have enough information now to make the decision to end the project and start aggressively moving with a site assessment to identify other” sites, said Superintendent Tom Flanagan. “But I feel really strongly there are viable sites for us to build.”
Last year, potentially cancer-causing PCBs were found in light fixtures, floor tiles, concrete and even the soil on the campus during the beginning of a $70 million renovation.
The next step is for officials to identify a location for the new school.
There is no estimate yet on the price tag for a new school.
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