Kaneland High to get new gymnasium floor, bleachers
The Kaneland school board approved a building fix-up plan Monday that contains about half the work the district initially wanted to do in 2018.
And about half the $548,000 it does plan to spend would be for one project: Replacing the floor and bleachers in the east gymnasium at Kaneland High School.
District 302's five-year capital improvement plan called for doing 14 projects, at an estimated cost of $1.2 million.
Instead, it plans to do six this summer:
• Some life-safety work at Kaneland McDole and Kaneland Blackberry Creek elementary schools, for $15,000;
• $20,000 in masonry repairs at Kaneland John Shields, Blackberry Creek and McDole elementary schools and Harter Middle School;
• Seal-coating and filling cracks in parking lots at Shields, Harter, Kaneland John Stewart Elementary School and Kaneland High School, for about $98,000;
• Replacing the floor and bleachers in the east gymnasium at Kaneland High, $250,000;
• Resurfacing the track at Harter, $115,000;
• Replacing fitness equipment at Harter, $50,000.
What is being postponed? Among other things, upgrading a science classroom, replacing some of the large musical instruments, redoing two restrooms, improve the drainage on the baseball field and replacing the dishwashing machine, all at the high school.
"We're going to hope it lasts one more year," Associate Superintendent Julie-Ann Fuchs said of the 15-year-old dishwasher. Replacing it would cost about $25,000. If it breaks, she said, it would require immediate replacement. She said the same of maintenance for the boiler pump.
Buildings and Grounds Director Mark Payton said the wood gym floor likely cannot be resurfaced again. It was heavily sanded several years ago when the floor was damaged by water from a roof collapse. To refinish the floor the bleachers must be taken out and, once removed, federal law requires them to be fully handicapped accessible. About half the money would be spent on the floor, half on the bleachers.
The capital projects spending was cut to reduce a projected $1.5 million budget deficit. The school's fiscal year begins July 1.