A New Home for Trailer Park High School

By Jackie Grace

Location of Carbon Hill

Introduction

• Carbon Hill High School burned on June 27, 2002. The fire was electrical.

• The citizens of Carbon Hill want to rebuild the school on the “historic” hill where

it was for 66 years.

• The Board wants to build the new school in a different location.

Criteria• The new high school must be in the city limits of

Carbon Hill. (Board of Education)• The site must be 20 acres, preferably 40 acres.

(Board of Education)• The Board of Education would like for the new

school to be near the former site to access athletic facilities.

• The new site must not be on top of an underground mine.

Criteria Continued

• The building must be 150,000 sq. ft. 

• Site must have access to utilities.

• The area needs to be relatively level.

• The new site must be away from the

railroad tracks.

• The new site must not be on a river/stream.

• The new site must not be within 500 ft of a surface mine.

Reason For New Site

• Former site is located above an underground mine.

• Geotechnical studies have shown the roof of the mine has crumbled in some places. The overlying bedrock is made of shale.

• To prepare the former site for building it would cost about $3 million.

Process

• Data was acquired from:1. Alabama Surface Mining Commission2. Data Depot3. Alabama Department of Industrial

Relations4. The Walker County Mapping

Department (Air Photo)5. GIS Department of Southern Company6. State of Alabama Geologic Survey

Process Continued

• Heads-up digitized:

• the City Limits • subsidence of

underground mines.

• Buffered:• Surface Mines

(700ft)• subsidence areas

(700 ft)

¾¾¾

¾

¾

¾

¾¾¾

¾¾

¾

¾¾¾¾¾¾¾¾¾¾¾

Ç

Ç

Ç

ÇÇ

Ç

Ç

Ç

Ç

Ç

Ç

Ç

ÇÇ

ï

ï

ï

ïî

î

î

îî

î

î

î

r

r

!D

!! !

!

!

!

!

! !!!!

!!!

!

!

n

nn

nn

The Finished Map

¾¾¾

¾

¾¾¾

¾

ÇÇ

Ç

Ç

Ç

Ç

Ç

Ç

ÇÇ

ï

î

î

î

îî

î

î

r

r

!D

!! !

!

!

!

!

!!!

!!

!!!

!

!

Underground Mine Map

Possible Sites

¾¾¾

¾

¾¾¾

¾

ÇÇ

Ç

Ç

Ç

Ç

Ç

Ç

ÇÇ

ï

î

î

î

îî

î

î

r

r

!D

!! !

!

!

!

!

!!!

!!

!!!

!

!

1

2

3

Conclusion

• There is not an appropriate site in the city limits of Carbon Hill.

• Possible solutions are:– Fill mine under the former school

– Move the school outside the city limits

Any Questions?