Booster club hosting fundraiser for Wheaton North library

Puddles formed on the carpet, windows fogged up with steam and hundreds of book pages curled after a frozen pipe burst on Dec. 8 and leaked hot water in the Wheaton North High School library.

Bill Farley, Wheaton Warrenville Unit District 200's assistant superintendent for business operations, said the library largely has been shut down since the flooding occurred.

“Hot water can do a lot of damage really quick and when it happens overnight on a Sunday ... it's probably the worst time it could have happened,” he said.

Workers didn't spot the water, which also leaked into five classrooms, until Monday morning.

Farley said shelving units have been thrown away and all the carpeting has been removed in the library and nearby classrooms. Chairs and tables also will need to be replaced and salvaging the books required sending them to a facility to be freeze dried, he said.

Luckily, all those basic costs will be covered by insurance. But since parts of the library are outdated, the school's booster club saw the flood as an opportunity to make the facility more modern.

The club is hosting a “LibraryPalooza” fundraiser at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, March 1, at Klein Creek Golf Club, 1N333 Pleasant Hill Road in Winfield. The price is $45 a person or $75 per couple for dinner, dancing and games.

“We just want to make it a more state-of-the-art, updated learning environment,” booster club President Suzanne Royer said.

The main pieces of new furniture the club is hoping to buy with money raised at the fundraiser are collaborative tables that multiple students can learn at.

For information on the fundraiser or to purchase tickets, visit wnhsboosters.org.