More cracks found in Gavin Central School's roof supports

Officials in District 37 remain frustrated over Gavin Central School in Ingleside, after an annual inspection turned up more fractured roof supports.

Officials from Legat Architects told the Gavin Elementary District 37 board Thursday the annual roof support inspection revealed one full fracture, two partial fractures and one truss that may become problematic in the future.

The cracks were discovered during the annual inspection in December. Legat, Boller Construction, District 37 and officials from the Lake County Regional Office of Education conducted the annual inspection of the roof trusses as required by a legal settlement reached between the parties five years ago.

"Another year in a row we have broken trusses," board President Connie Thorsen said. "Will the damage eventually be so great that we have serious, irreparable damage?"

The truss issue dates back to 2004, when cracks in the wooden roof supports were discovered during routine maintenance to a sprinkler head.

A follow-up inspection into the nine-year-old school revealed 57 cracked trusses in the attic of the building, which seriously compromised the structural integrity of the facility. The discovery forced the school to be shut down and condemned, and sparked debate among board members and the community on whether the structure should be demolished and rebuilt or repaired.

Legat officials said the roof supports in the school were made of low quality wood that was treated with a fire retardant that may have compromised its strength.

But district officials believed the trusses cracked due to a design flaw regarding the heavy weight of snow on the roof support system.

"If you fixed it and it was designed to hold the loads, why does it keep breaking?" Thorsen said Thursday.

Following a heated board election in 2005, the board voted to repair the facility and settled a lawsuit with Legat and Boller where the architects and construction company agreed to repair the school and conduct annual inspections.

Gavin Central reopened to students in 2006.

According to the settlement, the school is to be inspected once a year for five years, then once every five years after that.

However, because the inspections continue to reveal fresh cracked trusses, the Ingleside district and the regional office of education have asked that the annual inspections continue until the truss cracks stop.

Thorsen asked Legat officials to approach Boller Construction about starting up discussions to extend the inspection agreement.

• Daily Herald staff writer Lee Filas contributed to this report.