There is a laundry list of things that need to be fixed this summer at Beecher School District 200-U.
Topping that list, in Supt. Jack Gaham’s opinion, is a plumbing project for the high school that could cost in the neighborhood of $100,000.
“Our supply lines are from 1952,” he said at the March 12 facilities committee meeting prior to the regular board meeting. “They are galvanized, steel supply lines. A few weeks ago, one of them created a leak so they had to replace it.
“The problem is, with 70 years of corrosion…all of that corrosion seeps into everything else. You basically have black water until you wash it all out.”
He added another leak developed, and there is a temporary fix on that one.
He told the board the lines need to be replaced, and the estimates he is hearing are that it could cost $100,000, although he is hopeful it can be shaved to $80,000.
“It’s still a lot of money, but this has to get done, because the more we kick that can down the road, the worse it’s going to get,” Gaham said. “You are going to have more and more issues.”
While the district is having headaches with a plumbing system more than 70 years old, it is also having a few more with something that is two years old – the high school gym floors.
Gaham said they were replaced two years ago and are developing problems already.
“We have cupping and cracks and boards that are starting to separate,” he said. “We’re having all kinds of problems.”
He said he is looking into having the insurance company hire a third-party engineer to determine what caused it before approaching the company that installed it.
“It’s not dangerous to play on,” he said. “It’s not a tripping hazard. But it’s two years old, and it looks like it’s 20 years old.”
High school gym fans and masonry and elementary school windows, plumbing and playground repairs and sealcoating parking lots also were discussed.
Comings and goings
The board acknowledged the resignation of Gina Doran as school crossing guard.
It also approved the appointment of Max Albrecht as full time bus driver, Julianna Picicco as high school volleyball assistant, Kelly Golke as high school drama sponsor, and Kate Landis as volunteer high school girls softball coach.