WEST ASHLEY — Clemson University removed creeping vines and weeds overwhelming its historic agricultural buildings along Savannah Highway and now has hired a contractor to cover the structures’ failing roofs.

The City of Charleston ordered the university in August to secure, enclose and generally clean up a former federal vegetable laboratory, greenhouses and another building that had been deteriorating for years at the 325-acre Coastal Research and Education Center.

Clemson initiated some of these repairs within a 30-day window granted by the city and hired a contractor to cover the buildings’ roofs with tarps and place plywood across open windows. The roof and window work began last week, said Clemson spokesman Joe Galbraith.

Clemson in 2020 had sought to demolish the former veggie

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