Vestavia West school remains closed after flooding

The last week of school has been a wash so far for some students.

The fifth graders at Vestavia Hills West Elementary School are waiting anxiously to see if they’ve got another day of school or two this week.

The last day of school is officially Thursday, but so far classes have been cancelled this week due to flood damage.

Vestavia Hills Elementary West was closed Monday and Tuesday after flooding damaged the school building and a section of Merryvale Road. The road remains closed due to erosion and pavement being washed away that made it unsafe for drivers.

“The water was not draining properly; it got diverted and ended up coming down through us and hitting our lower building and the bottom part of West got hit,” said Megan Hoskin, program specialist for Vestavia City Schools at the office facing Merryvale.

“It’s kind of sad,” Hoskin said. “Those fifth graders want to be together one more time.”

Meanwhile, street crews have made fast repairs at the intersection of Merryvale at U.S. 31.

“They dug it up yesterday and repaved it today,” Hoskin said as she looked out Tuesday afternoon over repairs on Merryvale. “I’m impressed with how fast they did it.”

Students and their families are receiving updates by email on whether the school will reopen Wednesday or Thursday, when it’s supposed to close for the summer anyway.