Storm causes as much as $5 million in damage to Wheeling High School
The severe storm that ripped through the suburbs Friday afternoon caused as much as $5 million in damages at Wheeling High School that need to be fixed immediately, officials said.
The Northwest Suburban High School District 214 school board will hold an emergency meeting Thursday morning to approve waiving competitive bidding and spending the funds needed for quick repairs to the school, according to an agenda released Tuesday.
"High winds caused a large portion of the roof to blow off, resulting in flooding of the field house and damage to the interior equipment in the field house and nearby spaces. Damage also occurred to the pool roof, light poles, tennis courts and other parts of the property," according to a district memo. "There was extensive water and material damage to the roof, electrical components, light fixtures, mechanical equipment, plumbing fixtures, motors, gymnastics equipment, flooring, stored materials and insulation."
Friday's storm also knocked out power to more than 100,000 Chicago-area residents, caused flooding and took down tree branches around the suburbs.
Immediately after the storm, District 214 maintenance staffers worked with a roofing company, an asbestos abatement company and a restoration company to seal off the damaged areas and provide temporary fixes. But officials said the extensive damage needs a more permanent fix quickly.
Since the storm, the school's field house has been closed to students, moving sports practices and gym classes elsewhere.
"We anticipate the repairs will take two to three months and hope the field house will be open in November," spokeswoman Jennifer Delgado said. "In the meantime, some athletic teams are using other District 214 schools."
According to a memo, the school board will vote Thursday to give Cathy Johnson, associate superintendent for finance and operations, the authority to approve contracts of up to $5 million for repairs and waive competitive bidding to get the work done more quickly. Approval from three-fourths of the school board is necessary to waive competitive bidding.
"The board of education has determined that bidding the Wheeling High School field house and surrounding property repair work would create a safety hazard for students and employees, compromise the structural soundness of the field house, make the field house unavailable for student use for a significant period of time, and create a significant disruption to providing educational services to students at Wheeling High School," states the resolution the board will vote on Thursday.
The district already has filed an insurance claim and is working with architects and engineers to plan the repairs.
The District 214 school board will meet at 7:15 a.m. Thursday in the board room of the Forest View Educational Center, 2121 S. Goebbert Road.