The late June flooding caused damages to Clendenin Elementary equaling about 97 percent of the circa-1930 school's $3.7 million assessed value.
Kanawha County Commissioner Dave Hardy said the commission sent the damage assessment letter Monday morning to Kanawha schools Superintendent Ron Duerring. Hardy said the commission provided grant money for the school's playground about four years ago.
"It was a lovely school, very well run, very clean, and it's sad to think about the building being totaled, but apparently that's the conclusion," Hardy said.
Charles Wilson, the Kanawha public school system's executive director of facilities planning, deferred questions about whether the building could reopen to Duerring. The superintendent said there was "no recommendation at this time," and that it was too soon to comment.
"We will need to speak with [Federal Emergency Management Agency] officials," Duerring said.
Any time a building is more than 50 percent damaged in such a situation, it has to be brought into compliance with national flood insurance policy.
"It's my understanding that the footprint of the building could not grow larger and the usable spaces would have to be above the floodplain," Wilson said of what it would take to repair Clendenin to code. He said usable spaces include eating areas and classrooms.
Though the estimate sent to Duerring calculates about $3.6 million worth of damages, that's just the amount required to repair the building to how it was before the flood, not bring it up to current building codes.
Wilson said the flooding completely submerged the school's basement, where heating, ventilation, security, electrical and fire alarm systems were located.
He said the school has had additions since its 1930 construction, and one addition from the '60s that included the cafeteria, kitchen and four classrooms got about 4 feet of water.
"So all the kitchen equipment was destroyed," Wilson said. He said the school also has wooden floors and wooden joists, the floor is buckling up and replacing it would probably require replacing the walls it supports.
The school system already plans to build a new Herbert Hoover High after that school's current building, near the town of Clendenin, got 6 to 7 feet of water in the flooding. An assessment found that 1963 building suffered damage equaling 70 percent of its appraised value.
Wilson said companies' bids to sell the school system the portable classrooms meant to temporarily house Clendenin Elementary and Hoover students are due Friday, though the school system is answering hundreds of questions from portable manufacturers and the bid due date may be postponed.
The Clendenin students are planned to attend six to eight portable classrooms in front of Bridge Elementary, and the Hoover students are planned to attend about 60 portable classrooms on Elkview Middle's football field.
Wilson said the Hoover portables will likely have to be elevated on pylons about 8 feet above the floodplain, with ramps and stairs leading up to them.
"It's going to look a little like structures you see at the beach, probably a boardwalk, but there are other alternatives," he said.
Hoover students will temporarily attend classes in the Elkview Middle building in the upcoming school year - which starts Aug. 8 for the majority of Kanawha public schools - until they can move into the portable classrooms. Middle-schoolers will attend in the morning, and high-schoolers in the afternoon.
Jane Roberts, the school system's assistant superintendent over elementary schools, said she expects students from Clendenin Elementary and Bridge Elementary will share the Bridge facility for about a month, until the portables arrive.
Reach Ryan Quinn at ryan.quinn@wvgazettemail.com, facebook.com/ryanedwinquinn, 304-348-1254 or follow @RyanEQuinn on Twitter.