Local officials received a preliminary report Thursday on the status of their requests for equipment to protect schools from a chemical accident at the Anniston Army Depot.
At a meeting with representatives from the Federal Emergency Management Agency, school administrators heard a rundown of evaluations of school buildings that could determine what level of protection each will receive. The superintendents of Calhoun County, Oxford and Anniston school systems have asked that their facilities be fitted with systems that would overpressurize the buildings - fill them with clean air so that no contaminated air can enter in the event of an accident.
The evaluation process, which is being conducted by the Army Corps of Engineers, continues, but the school officials didn't appear thrilled with what they heard.
Based on the corps' report, Overpressurization has been recommended for four of the 18 schools. These are Oxford Middle School, Saks Elementary and Middle schools, and Trinity Christian School.
The other schools on the list, which include public and private institutions in Anniston, Oxford, Weaver and Saks, will either be subject to further testing or will be weatherized.
School officials left the meeting reiterating their demands for overpressurization, which, they say, FEMA committed to in 1996 and again in a meeting last year.
"Nothing less than overpressurization is acceptable in the schools that are on our list," said Calhoun County Schools Superintendent Jacky Sparks.
This sentiment was echoed by Anniston Schools Interim-Superintendent Dr. Stephen Nowlin, Oxford Schools Superintendent Louis Higgins and Dee Gorey, president of Donoho School.
FEMA officials at the meeting said they will support the requests, but they made no guarantees. They said each facility will be evaluated against the same scientific standard.
Funds for the requested work, which could cost several million dollars, were not included in a $40.5 million funding package ordered by the Pentagon last year. Some $6 million of that funding is earmarked for collective protection, but the money will only cover back payments for existing work and the current testing.
The Army Corps of Engineers is expected to make a final report on their testing next week. Officials didn't establish a timeline to complete the work, if it's funded, but the school superintendents asked that it be done before the Army begins to incinerate the stockpile of chemical weapons later this year.
FEMA also committed to providing the superintendents and Calhoun County EMA Director Mike Burney with the latest information on the issue. The FEMA officials said that each of the 2,500 letters local residents wrote to Alabama politicians in support of the county school board's requests will be answered.
