LAS VEGAS, Nev. (FOX5) – FOX5 continues to get answers about Lundy Elementary and whether or not it will close for good.
It is the only school on Mt. Charleston, and it has been closed since tropical storm Hilary moved through the area last year. Since then, students as young as five had to be bussed over an hour each way to Indian Springs.
FOX5 first reported on the school closing in May, and since then, parents and their kids have been upset about the decision. The bond oversight committee also reached out to FOX5, and said they were kept in the dark about the closure.
Abraham Camejo personally went up the mountain and toured the exterior of the school, only with FOX5.
“The gas tanks look good. I just drove by, the roof looks good, the playground looks decent,” Camejo said. He sits on the Bond Oversight Committee and should know exactly what needs to be repaired and how much it should cost, but he was not told anything.
On Monday, Clark County Commissioner Ross Miller spoke with FOX5 as he oversees the area.
“I certainly saw the interview. I’m not an expert; I would refer to the expert,” Miller said.
Miller told FOX5 he did not know about Lundy Elementary closing until he saw it on the news.
“I have no oversight of the school district, so there is no mandate that I would be informed to close schools,” Miller said.
FOX5 informed him that the constituents he serves would likely rely on him to possibly have a say in the closure.
“It is up to the school district, it is how the system works,” Miller said.
However, earlier this month, it became a topic for county commissioners after a rep from CCSD said the damages would cost $10 million to repair.
FOX5 asked Miller why it was brought up in a county commissioners meeting if this was not a county decision.
“This wasn’t on the county agenda, this was brought up by a commissioner who received some complaints from people who lived in Mt. Charleston,” Miller said. ” I don’t know why it was brought up, it was not brought up by me.”
According to Miller, the 9-12 enrolled students at Lundy Elementary is not enough of a reason to reconstruct a school for $10 million.
“It may not make sense,” Miller said.
FOX5 asked the elected official if he went to see the damage himself, and Miller said he only went once, when the storms first rolled through. He has not been back since.
FOX5 also obtained a detailed report from an architectural company that went to assess the damage days after the storm.
This 113-page report indicated that “the main structure may be occupied when the temporary measures of supporting the storage room are completed.”
It reported that there were some cracks found in the storage room, but it is unclear when that cracking happened. School board trustees will once again talk about Lundy on June 27. Parents will have one month to appeal and then the board may discuss closure on July 11.
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