Hall High School is showing its age
Comments (...)SPRING VALLEY — The pictures on display at the Hall High School Board meeting were unsettling.
Photo after photo revealed the impact of 100 years of use on the old building, showing crumbling walls, leaking roofs and failing mechanical systems.
The photos were part of a PowerPoint report from architectural firm of Healy, Bender and Associates, of Naperville which toured the building in December.
Superintendent Mike Struna said he received the report last week and gave an overview of some of the highlights.
The original building at the school was built in 1914. Additions included the auditorium and swimming pool in 1939, the business and science wing in 1962, the gymnasium in 1974, and the auto shop in 1986.
The last major renovation took place from 1998 to 2000, and included new boilers, plumbing and exterior doors at a cost of about $3.9 million.
Struna said the average age of the school is 75 years old, and half of the school is almost 100 years old. Struna said everything but science and business are taught in a building that’s 100 years old.
“The oldest part of the building houses the most important academic parts of the school,” he said.
The report included extensive recommendations for work to be done.
External work includes repairing the parking lots, sidewalks and outbuildings; replacing the roofs, gutters and downspouts; and work to the exterior walls. Struna said about one-third of the walls need tuck-pointing; foundation walls and wood trim need to be repaired; and some of the block glass needs to be replaced. There are also a lot of flat roofs with leaking issues.
Turning to the interior of the building, the interior doors and windows need to be repaired; flooring, ceilings and walls need to be repaired; and the rooms need electrical upgrades.
“We upgraded the electrical feed this summer, but as you go in the classrooms, you’ll see power strips plugged into power strips,” Struna said.
Other recommendations are to replace the existing hot water piping system to the 1962 addition; replace the existing steam and condensate piping distribution system; and install HVAC units for the kitchen, cafeteria, boys locker room, gymnasium and north building.
“This is the big issue,” Struna said.
Struna said there is standing water under the swimming pool area that has given maintenance director Bob Hanck some anxious moments.
“Bob can tell you stories about going in there to turn off power when there’s a foot of water in that area,” Struna said.
If the district no longer uses the boiler system to send heat throughout the building, HVAC units would need to be installed.
“If we eliminate the 1914 mechanical, then it’s a domino effect on the entire building,” Struna said.
There have been a number of recent heating problems. Struna said the heat didn’t work in the gym during winter break, and last month leaky steam coils knocked out hear to the auditorium.
In total, Struna said there are numerous plumbing, electrical, educational adequacy, technology and safety issues to address.
Struna asked the board to review the material and prepare questions for Healy Bender, who will attend the March board meeting to discuss the costs and to ask for direction from the board.
“Do we form a building committee; do we take community input; we have to decide the next step,” Struna said. “We have a lot of work to do, and this is Step 1.”
Board member Joe Bezely then asked Hanck his opinion about the overall condition of the building.
“I don’t think you really want to hear it,” Hanck replied.
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