MILTON, WV (WOWK) – Construction of the new Milton Elementary School location is officially set to get underway.

Cabell County Schools officials, staff and students were joined by West Virginia Governor Jim Justice on Thursday, May 11, to break ground on the new location at 1224 Newmans Branch Road in Milton.

Even some of the students donned hard hats and scooped a shovel full of dirt to mark the occasion.

“When you think about a community, it’s not just about what is outside the building, but it’s what happens inside. You know, and I think that having a new facility that is modern, it is safe, it’s clean, allows everyone to come together,” said Ryan Saxe, superintendent of Cabell County Schools.

Saxe says a new feature this building will have is outdoor learning spaces as well as interior collaboration spaces for students.

“It’s just going to be a world class facility that students are going to be so proud of. And it’s gonna serve generations of students to come,” Saxe said.

In August 2020 Cabell County voters approved a bond measure that allowed Cabell County Schools to receive more than $1 million to help fund improvements to educational facilities.