Trailers used as classrooms for decades were officially declared surplus property and approved for demolition Friday in a special called meeting of the Vicksburg Warren School District Board of Trustees.

The trailers, located behind Vicksburg Junior High, are in the way of upcoming construction but would not survive being moved to another site on school property, Superintendent Dr. James Price said.

“Neither building is habitable,” Price said.

Arthur Jones of JBHM Architects of Jackson wrote in a site report that one of the portable buildings shows signs of water damage and the possibility of mold. Both are “in a derelict state.”

Any usable materials will be salvaged by the contractor before demolition, Price said, and the underlying steel superstructure will also be kept.

Cost to demolish the trailers, which each housed a classroom as recently as December, will be the same as originally budgeted to move them — $3,500. Price said students were moved into temporary space inside the main building in January, but overcrowding remains an issue.

Interest-free bonds were approved last summer to fund school construction at VJHS and at Warrenton Elementary, another school which has utilized portable trailers to house classrooms since the 1970s.

In other business Friday, the board approved a temporary road-use easement across district-owned land to permit timber harvesting by a private company. The permit covers the period from March 10 to Dec. 31, and requires repair of any damages caused during the road’s use.

With two board members, president Jerry Boland and Joe Loviza, attending in person and two others, vice president Tommy Shelton and James Stirgus Jr., voting by mobile phone, a quorum was present at the meeting, requested by Price so the two agenda items could be settled promptly.

Board member Zelmarine Murphy was not able to be reached, Price said.

Boland said the state Legislature gave approval for remote board participation via cell phones a couple of years ago.

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Contact Pamela Hitchins at phitchins@vicksburgpost.com