Deja vu for Dist. 117: Another soggy gym floor needs to be replaced

It's the second time in less than a year that officials in Antioch-Lake Villa Area High School District 117 are faced with replacing their main gym floor.

A water pipe broke at Antioch High School on Christmas Eve, causing major warping of the wood, said District Superintendent Jay Sabatino. The entire floor will have to be replaced.

Custodians noticed water running from the girls washroom on Dec. 24. The leaky pipe was located and the custodian tried to fix it but twisted too hard, snapping off the cover.

"It was a 2-inch pipe, so there was a lot of water pouring out," Sabatino said.

The custodian, who is a private contractor and not a district employee, ran to find the main shut-off valve, but not before hundreds of gallons of water poured into the main gym, which is next to the washroom.

"The water was absorbed by the wood and the wooden underlayment causing major warping," Sabatino said.

Sabatino could not give a damage estimate until flooring company representatives make an assessment sometime this week. He wouldn't speculate on how long it will take to replace the floor until hearing from the experts. In the meantime, games will be moving to other venues.

"This mostly affects boys and girls basketball and wrestling right now," he said. "But it won't be long until the baseball and softball teams will be needing the gym."

The main gym at Lakes High School was closed for nearly four months last year after officials discovered major warping from seeping water under the floorboards. The cause was related to errors in construction of the floor and was not covered by insurance. District officials used cash from the general fund to make the repairs, which cost abut $100,000.

This time around, the insurance company should pick up the tab.

"Fortunately in this case, our insurance company will be paying for the repair," Sabatino said Monday.

Sabatino said the floor at Antioch is about 35 years old and was going to need to be replaced in the next three years or so.

"It's getting done earlier than we expected," he said.