Leaking roofs at District 214 schools to be replaced over next two years

Some roofs covering the six high schools in Northwest Suburban High School District 214 are three decades old and experiencing numerous leaks, leading officials to launch a two-year roof replacement project this summer.

The current foam roofs, which were laid on top of cold tar pitch roofs, have well exceeded their life expectancy and are no longer cost effective to continue patching, district officials say.

That will lead to $8.5 million in work this summer to install EDPM rubber roofs with 20-year warranties at John Hersey, Prospect and Wheeling high schools. The district also will spend $1.5 million to fix curtain walls in the Prospect courtyard and on the east and south sides of the building due to leakage.

All of the construction to be done this summer - including architectural, design, engineering, construction management and insurance costs - is estimated to be $10.9 million. The school board recently approved bids for the projects.

The roofs at the other three District 214 schools - Rolling Meadows, Elk Grove and Buffalo Grove - would be replaced in the summer of 2021.