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Elk Grove High's pool still closed from flood

The last part of the repairs Elk Grove High School awaits from flooding last month that left four feet of rainwater in parts of the building is, ironically, the swimming pool.

While several other areas of the school, including the basement, have already undergone extensive remediation since a July 23 storm flooded the building, the swimming pool is not expected to be ready until late September, said Venetia Miles, spokeswoman for Northwest Suburban High School District 214.

Officials said parts for the swimming pool's sump pump are still needed to complete repairs. The total cost of replacement parts is expected to exceed $1 million.

The rest of the school will open on schedule Tuesday, Miles said.

Besides physical education classes, the pool was expected this fall to be home for girls swim teams from both Elk Grove and Rolling Meadows high schools. Because Rolling Meadows High School does not have a swimming pool of its own, its swim teams normally use Elk Grove's.

During its summer practices so far, the Elk Grove High School girls team has been using both Elk Grove Park District and Itasca Park District facilities. The Rolling Meadows team will use a Rolling Meadows Park District outdoor pool for practices through Oct. 1.

Rolling Meadows swim parents generally were satisfied with the plan, though they noted theirs will be the only team in the district practicing outdoors and therefore dependent on the weather.

In the meantime, all home swim meets for both schools will be switched to the away teams' pools. District officials are still searching for another facility to accommodate meets between Elk Grove and Rolling Meadows high schools.

Miles said heavy rains seeped into the school July 23 after overwhelming the ability of the sump pumps and the soil outside to absorb it. Water levels in the basement rose from four inches to four feet within 30 minutes.

The creek outside the school also rose significantly during the storm, but water that got into the building came directly from the rain, Miles said.

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  Kyle Burritt, associate principal at Elk Grove High School, shows where water was introduced into the pool’s equipment during a heavy rainstorm last month, causing massive damage to the pumps and duct work. Mark Welsh/mwelsh@dailyherald.com
  Kyle Burritt, associate principal at Elk Grove High School, shows where the water was introduced into the pool during a heavy rainstorm last month, causing massive damage to the pool’s pumps and duct work. Mark Welsh/mwelsh@dailyherald.com
  Kyle Burritt, associate principal at Elk Grove High School, talks about the water damage caused to the pool last month after stormwater flooded the school’s pool area. The gold pump on the floor was just one of many pieces of equipment replaced, totaling more than $1 million. Mark Welsh/mwelsh@dailyherald.com