The Clay Center Public School has been a main part of the Clay Center community since 1929.
The original portion of the school is scheduled for demolition starting May 12, 2026, and will continue throughout the upcoming summer.
An exterior wall will be installed at the north end of the breezeway to enclose the newer part of the school. Green and yellow flags and spray-painted markings can be seen showing the water, sewer, and phone lines.
The era of the school also indicates the special protocol for the removal the asbestos.
The weather and the years that the school has been standing haven’t been kind to the school, since 2010 when the last graduating class at Clay Center left the building.
A few of the rooms were used by a variety of businesses for a brief time after the school closed. The original gym has been used for community events. But the usage was still not enough to keep this part of history from receiving the wrath of Mother Nature.
The building maintenance was getting to the point that the Sandy Creek school board needed to make the hard decision of the future of the school.
What about the future of for the rest of the school?
According to Sandy Creek Superintendent Stephen Grizzle, the SCALE program and daycare will stay functioning and will remain at the Clay Center location.
Whether or not the trees will remain, will be assessed as the project progresses, with the plan of saving as many trees as possible.
Once the project is completed, grass will be planted where the old school stands today.
More information is to follow as the project changes the school landscape.
