[HAIL PIKEVILLE!]

Kimper needs to feed into Phelps, problem solved. PCC has been overcrowded for years anyway to my knowledge between JC and Mullins.

I can't think of a situation where students where moved from a newer, more modern high school to an older, isolated school.
More likely, Phelps eventually closes like seven others over the past few decades.
I heard from a coach that there is an old road that connects Phelps to Belfry, but it isn't safe for buses. Fixing that road might solve the problem.

Callaway Mountain is by far the closest route from the heart of Phelps where the HS currently sits but it is a one lane Mountain with limited guard rails and sketchy at best pavement. That mountain can be intimidating to drive with a 4WD truck, let alone on a school bus.

If you want to drive Callaway:
https://www.google.com/maps/@37.5083953,...328!8i1664


Pounding Mill is a longer route but for a mountain it is a tad bit safer than Callaway:
https://www.google.com/maps/@37.5702582,...328!8i1664

In either case, then you have another mountain to cross from Blackberry back to Hardy or Stone in addition, although with two lanes those mountains feel like the autobahn compared to Callaway.

The third option doesn't involve a mountain necessarily but it requires buses crossing over to WV for the vast majority of the trip to get back to Belfry and mileage wise is definitely the longest which I am sure the BOE isn't too enthused about.

I heard grumblings about 15-20 years ago the county schools was trying to push the state build a road that connected Phelps and Belfry. The plan was to build a four lane over both mountains. The plan also was to shut down Phelps and send those students to Belfry. This was about the time the State was nearly done with the 119 expansion. I heard the state told them that there was no way they could build a road over those mountains and they’d have to tunnel through the bottom of both of them to make a road….Next thing you know, Phelps gets a complete makeover. New School, New Athletic Facilities…ETC….I never heard anything about a new road after that…