Caryville, Campbell County (WVLT) - Every time it rains it seems to pour inside one Campbell County elementary school.
 
Flooding problems have existed for decades in the nearly 70 year old school, but the problems are starting to get really old.
 
Stacy McCloudexplains why the solutions may also be part of the problem.
 
After a lot of cleaning, most the mess is gone here at Caryville Elementary School, but once the rain picks up, it'll be back.
 
They say there is two ways the water comes in.  Here behind the freezer and also along the floorboard at the back wall of the cafeteria.  Today they call a good day because many times the water is up to their ankles.
 
Teachers say they're tired of the hallway serving as a place to eat and it's no picnic for the cafeteria workers either.
 
"When you walk through the water and step into the freezer… you freeze to the floor," says Kay Foster, a cafeteria worker at Caryville Elementary.
 
These flooding problems have been around since some of these students grandparents were here. The issue lies in fixing them.
 
A few years ago the school board spent over $370,000, getting rid of mold and trying to eliminate the flooding.
 
"We knew we were just doing a band-aid approach and the only solution is to build a new school for Caryville," says Campbell County School Board member Eugene Lawson.
 
But, the school board and county commission can't agree on how to make that happen.
 
"We are at the mercy of the local governing body the local county commission," explains Superintendent Dr. Judy Blevins.
 
The school board says the land has been purchased and they've told the county commission what they want. Now they need the money.  The county commission says the price is much too high.
 
The only agreement, so far, the students shouldn't continue to pay the price.
 
"This is a dangerous situation and it's gonna get worse, it's not gonna get better," Lawson says.
 
School board members say they want construction to start this summer so that students can be in the school by 2008.
 
But before that can happen there will be numerous meetings, both with the county commission and the school board.
 
Of course Volunteer TV will bring you updates as they come along.
 

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