Dist. 128 gets estimate for Brainerd demolition

If Libertyville-Vernon Hills Area High School District 128 officials eventually opt to knock down the long-closed Brainerd Building and the adjoining Jackson Gym, necessary asbestos removal could cost $350,000, according to a new estimate.

The demolition itself could cost an additional $350,000, officials announced.

The estimates were made public Monday night during a brief school board discussion about the Brainerd campus, which is on Route 176 at Brainerd Avenue.

District officials insist they still support a volunteer group's effort to convert the buildings into a community center. Even so, they want to have demolition estimates on hand if the group's efforts fall short.

“We are simply moving forward with some advanced planning in the event the building would come back to us,” Superintendent Prentiss Lea said.

The Brainerd campus is owned by the school district but is being rented by the group with the community-center plans. Both buildings have been shuttered for years because of safety concerns.

The current Libertyville High is located just west of the site on Route 176.

The volunteer group hasn't had a lot of luck with its fundraising efforts. It's collected about $55,000 so far, but most of that money has been spent on maintenance and repairs. About $10,000 remains in the bank, said the group's president, John Snow.

If the group doesn't make an initial $250,000 payment on its lease with the district by December 2011, control of the site will revert to the school board.

Officials said they're getting estimates now to get the process started early and to prevent delays down the road.

The estimate for asbestos removal came from a consultant the district has used in the past, District 128 business office consultant Jess Porres said at Monday's meeting. The demolition estimate came from Lake County Grading, a Libertyville firm.

If school officials do reclaim the property and decide to demolish the buildings, both jobs would have to go out for bids, so the actual costs could be different, Porres said.

At Monday's meeting, board member Alex DelliPaoli asked if money for the proposed demolition project would be included in an upcoming District 128 budget. It would be, he was told.