CHARLES TOWN, W.Va. - Members of the Jefferson County Commission and the Jefferson County Board of Education on Wednesday discussed earmarking $3.3 million in school impact fees for a new high school with the possibility that more funding could become available later.
The money will help the Jefferson County Board of Education deal with increased costs of building the school, which is being constructed adjacent to the Huntfield development south of town.
School officials have said the increased costs were caused by a construction cost formula required by state officials.
Another factor driving up the cost is that there was a little bedrock at the school site, forcing officials to design a pillar system to support the building, Commission member Dale Manuel said Wednesday.
School officials said previously they needed $6 million in school impact fees for the high school.
Although about $7 million has been collected through the fees, Manuel has said that state law controlling the distribution of school impact fee funds is complex and commission members want to make sure they are complying with the law when money is distributed.