Official: Asbestos at Larkin High is no cause for concern

An extensive renovation project — and not the presence of asbestos — is the reason why the last day of classes at Larkin High School will be June 1, instead of June 4, a U-46 official said Tuesday.

The issue was the subject of a discussion that started Sunday on Elgin Area School District U-46's Facebook page. The district responded Tuesday to set the record straight for concerned parents.

Asbestos was discovered at Larkin in the insulation of the piping located in the mechanical rooms that provide heating, ventilation and air conditioning for the locker rooms and gymnasium, U-46 Chief of Staff Tony Sanders said.

He added that safety precautions are not necessary because nobody is in any danger.

The asbestos was found as the district prepares to embark on an extensive $5.6 million renovation at Larkin that involves replacing the school's boilers, piping, air handler units, chillers and other items. “Any time we're ripping out these boilers, any piping, sometimes ceiling tiles that were installed back in the time asbestos was commonplace, you'll find asbestos and it has to be abated before you do the project,” Sanders said.

The district has spent $223,290 on a state-approved contractor that will encapsulate or remove the asbestos.

Larkin was built in 1962 and the asbestos is thought to be original to the building.

Asbestos is common for olde buildings, and in 2010 alone U-46 officials discovered the substance at four other Elgin schools, he said.

School is letting out June 1 to give the workers an extra day to work on the renovation project, he said.

June 1 is also the final day of classes for Elgin High School, which is being repainted; Lords Park Elementary School, which is having boiler and chiller work done; and at Harriet Gifford Elementary School, because the streets around it are being repaved.

June 4 is the last day of school for everyone else.