SWANSEA, Ill. — Wolf Branch Middle School in Swansea is getting rebuilt, three years after being forced to close due to mine subsidence.
Holland Construction announced on Tuesday the company would be rebuilding the school, with the goal of reopening in the fall of 2021.
The school closed in 2017 after a significant settlement caused by the collapse of an abandoned underground coal mine was discovered. Floors and walls inside the building buckled, and the school was forced to close.
The school will see a $16 million replacement and rehabilitation. There will be a new 44,000 square foot addition, as well as renovations to 18,000 square feet of the original structure that remains.
Renovations are slated to include new administrative offices and rooms for the band and choir. The new addition will feature a gym and locker rooms, a multipurpose room that will house the cafeteria and kitchen, a stage and a media center/library.
Wolf Branch Superintendent Scott Harres said the Illinois Department of Natural Resources has completed mine remediation at the site and determined it is safe for rebuilding. The IDNR will continue to monitor the site as needed.
