Mold to be removed from one Chester High school classroom
Returning to her alma mater as principal, Missy Meyer recently walked into her old classroom at Chester High School and didn't like what she saw.
"Over half of the ceiling tiles have mold," she said during last week's meeting of the Chester District 139 Board of Education, noting she is severely allergic to mold. "Mold growing on the baseboards, doors and floor tiles are popping up."
Meyer told the board she could smell the mold as soon as she walked into Room 203 and brought new Superintendent Brian Pasero to see the problem. She said she was told former superintendent Rick Goodman had advised holding off on addressing the issue.
Humidity in the room was 68 percent, and a representative from Environmental Consultants - which had a $19,250 mold remediation estimate for the room approved by the board later in the meeting - advised Meyer that the humidity had to be below 60 percent and to get a dehumidifier to start.
"It's filling up every five hours," she told the board.
Meyer said Environmental Consultants believes the problem started five years ago when the roof was changed and tuckpointing wasn't properly done. That allowed moisture to seep into the walls and cause water damage.
"Every wall has to be cleaned, every surface has to be cleaned," she said.
According to its proposal, Environmental Consultants will do the following to remediate Room 203:
Install dehumidification equipment
Place the room under a negative pressure containment equipped with HEPA filtration
Remove and dispose of all ceiling tiles
Remove and dispose of all water-damaged building materials
Clean the room and all its contents, which includes cleaning with an antimicrobial solution
Install new ceiling pads and reinstall existing floor tiles
The most expensive portion of the project was demolition and cleaning, with an estimated cost of $10,200.
Meyer did seem to suggest Room 203 was an exception at the school.
"Other than that, the building looks awesome," she said.
STUDENTS OFF FOR SOLAR ECLIPSE
In other news, it was announced that the district's students will not be in attendance during the day of the total solar eclipse on Monday, Aug. 21. The 2017-18 school calendar will be amended to make up the day later.
Chester Grade School Principal Tim Lochhead stated he had talked with Chester Police Chief Ryan Coffey about the event and was told there was the possibility of at least 10,000 more people in Chester that day.
Twelve police officers will be on duty most of the day, with no less than eight at any time. Basic services could be delayed due to clogged roads.
"We're treating this as an ice or snow day and reminding people if they don't need to get out, stay home," said Chester Grade School Principal Tim Lochhead.
Pasero agreed with the recommendation, stating a large amount of people in town could cause traffic gridlock and make student pick up a safety issue.
"My recommendation is if (Coffey) is recommending people stay home, than I would recommend we are out of school," he said.
SPORTS UNIFORMS
CHS Assistant Principal/Athletic Director Jeremy Blechle spoke on the five-year rotation of sports uniforms, with boys basketball up for new uniforms this year. Pads for the basketball goals and walls in Colbert Gymnasium also need to be replaced.
Blechle advised the board that the football uniforms, which are in their fourth year in the rotation, are no longer compliant with current IHSA standards and have a "very expensive" velcro piece on the shoulders to make them permissible.
ROUNDUP
The following items were approved by the board:
Registration dates for the 2017-18 school year.
Former City of Chester Treasurer Donna Clendenin as district treasurer.
District Secretary Sheri Coughlin as assistant district treasurer.
Homecoming dress and accessory sale in Juergens Gym on Aug. 26 with a $10 consignment fee. All proceeds benefit the Chester Students Costa Rica Educational Trip. This sale was approved pending proof of insurance.
A review of six months of executive session minutes.
Appoint board member Tom Welge to the Perandoe Representative Assembly.
A $1,600-per-month contract with School Bookkeeping Solutions for a payroll system.
Bids for paper (Premiere Paper), milk (Chester Dairy) and bread (Moore Foods) for the 2017-18 school year.
The resignation of Shannon McDonough as CGS cross country and track coach.
Employment of Jennifer King as CHS girls JV basketball coach.
Employment of Jenna Burke as 3-hour CHS cafeteria aide at $8.25 per hour.
Reassignment of Mary Ann Smith-Heberlie from CGS custodian to 12-month CHS secretary for seven hours per day at a start date ASAP.