Rolling Meadows replacing gymnasium floor

Rolling Meadows High School will install a new gymnasium floor before the end of the year, replacing a decades-old floor that was severely damaged over the summer.

Officials discovered moisture damage in the 40-year-old floor on Aug. 18, but because of the degree of the damage and age of the floor, officials in Northwest Suburban High School District 214 decided replacement would be a better financial decision than repair.

The school board on Thursday accepted a bid from Pepper Construction to do the work.

The construction will uproot the basketball team and other winter sports teams, which will have to practice and play somewhere else for most of the season.

However, they’ll get to finish their season on the new floor, which is expected to be complete before Jan. 1.

The replacement of the floor will cost a little under $400,000, but the expenses will be covered by insurance, said board member Mimi Cooper.

Cooper said she has been hearing from some students that the process is taking too long and will be an inconvenience until it is fixed.

She has assured them that the gym floor will soon be replaced so sports and clubs that use it for practices will be able to get back to normal.

“We are required to follow the state bid process, which is why it may seem like it’s taking a long time,” said Superintendent Dave Schuler. “But it’s actually going as quickly as possible.”