Chester Grade School gym update
</element><element id="paragraph-1" type="body"><![CDATA[ On Monday,?July 2 a special meeting of the Chester CUSD #139 school board was held in the high school cafeteria. Among the topics discussed was the condition of the elementary school gym. The discussion involved a presentation from Baysinger Architects who are the school district's architects. The presentation also included statements from Chris Whiting, structural engineer, and Christopher Farmer, Geotechnical engineer.
The engineers discussed the cracking that has occurred in the gym wall. The group discussed the history of the crack and noted that "minimal movement was present prior to 2011". The district had been monitoring the crack since 2009. Upon inspection in May of this year, they observed "severe cracking and shifting of the gymnasium wall". The engineers believe that the cause of the increased movement was likely due to the 42 inches of rainfall in 2011. Due to the severity of the crack, they have recommended that, strictly as a precautionary measure, the gymnasium not be occupied by students or staff until a safe and long term plan for repair or replacement could be determined. In addition, the architects also stated that there is no imminent danger of the gym collapsing. The Board has decided to follow their recommendation until more information can be gathered on how to best to address these problems.
The Chester School Board and administration are working towards finding answers to this issue. From the construction aspect, the first parts of the plan will be to start geotechnical drilling and slope analysis to fully understand the problem and to determine the best approach to remedy the situation. Concerning the education of our students, Chester elementary administration and faculty are working on a plan to allow the start of the school year with a shift of classrooms that will best accommodate students and programs.
Also present at the meeting was Dr. Marc Kiehna, Regional Superintendent, who discussed how the Regional Office of Education could help with gym issues. He has been working with the Illinois State Board of Education and district administration to help find funding options for the district.
As always, we will keep the community informed as new information becomes available. Please feel free to contact Chris Diddlebock at the Chester CUSD #139 district office (826-4509).