Okay turning burned high school into public storm shelter

OKAY, Okla. (AP) – The remains of a school destroyed by a fire nearly 30 years ago are being converted into a storm shelter.

Okay is converting what is left of the former Okay High School into a storm shelter with assistance from Wagoner County, a federal grant and volunteers.

Mayor Brad Matthews says much of the project’s funding comes from a $150,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and matching funds.

The former high school was destroyed by a fire in May 1986, just hours after the senior prom. The basement, surrounded in concrete, survived the fire.

Okay Preservation Committee president Johnny Walker says officials hope the shelter will be ready by spring. He says it could hold up to 150 people.