Published: March 12, 2009 08:51 pm      

Multiple uses explored for old Pocahontas High

POCAHONTAS, Va. — Pocahontas High School now stands empty, but Thursday evening its auditorium hosted residents and county officials ready to share ideas for putting life back into its classrooms.

‘There are a whole lot of possibilities,” said Curtis Gillespie, a board member with the Tazewell County Industrial Development Authority. Creating housing for the underprivileged was just one possibility.

Nearby Bluefield College is looking at the possibilities offered by the high school’s facilities, said Annette Tabor, the college’s director of donor relations. Using the classrooms for a Bachelor’s of Science in Nursing program and rural health care education is one idea, plus the school’s athletic facilities could be used. The college also wants to hear ideas from Pocahontas residents.

“We’re looking at not only what’s good for Bluefield College, but what’s good for Pocahontas,” Tabor said.

The high school has been well-maintained, visitors at Thursday’s meeting repeatedly pointed out.

“It’s in tremendous shape,” said Monte Rife of the Tazewell County IDA. “We hope to listen to what the community wants to do.”

The IDA will examine various options ranging from clinics, sports leagues, classroom use and other activities, he said. The high school could conceivably be the site of several activities at the same time.

“I don’t think you’ll have only one use,” Tabor said.

County Administrator Jim Spencer said ideas from the community are welcome.

“We’ve talked about all kinds of different possibilities,” Spencer said before the meeting. “A restaurant, a cafeteria, Department of Corrections dormitories.”

People with ideas they would like to share can e-mail them to jspencer@tazewellcounty.org.

Amy Flick, a member of the Pocahontas Town Council, said keeping activity at the high school building was “vital.”

“We need activity, heat and people here or the building will crumble,” she said. “It’s got to be maintained, and this would be a beautiful way to do it. It could add business and bring traffic into town and tourists to the (exhibition) mine. It could jump start everything.”

— Contact Greg Jordan at gjordan@bdtonline.com