Report points to school building flaws

The district’s school buildings aren’t in any immediate danger of toppling over, engineers said, but recommended action be taken now to ensure their lives can be extended.
The November defeat of a bond issue to build new schools has forced USD 257 Board of Education members to see how they can make do with present facilities.
First off, is an inspection of the structural integrity of each of the district buildings conducted by Hollis and Miller Architects. John Funk with the Overland Park-based company shared the company’s findings with board members this week in a report.
Hollis and Miller was also the firm used to draw up plans for a new school campus, which included consolidating the three Iola elementary schools. At the time, they projected it would cost less to build brand new than it would to renovate existing structures.
Hollis and Miller walked a majority of the building floor plans and exteriors to investigate their overall structural condition on Dec. 16. The exteriors of the elementary schools and high school are in good condition, according to the firm. The schools did exhibit some water infiltration and ground water issues but that is not causing structurally significant cracking or settlement, yet. In the report Hollis and Miller said, “our recommendations need to be completed in a timely manner to prevent structural issues.”
Jefferson Elementary
Architects said Jefferson “is a very sound structure.” There is water present in the basement but the building had the least amount of water and the least cracking and settling issues.
Lincoln Elementary
Lincoln also had very little cracking or structural concerns. The exterior grading issues, however, are causing water drainage problems.
“During large rains, water traveling south on North Jefferson Avenue washes across the site and enters the northwest entry to the building,” according to the report. “This may also require a change to the street, which will need to involve the city as well.”
McKinley Elementary
McKinley exhibited the most structural issues of the schools. The report stated on the northwest corner, the 1970s addition is settling along the north wall. The grade and the sidewalk slope toward the building is causing the settling. Groundwater quantity in the basement is the most of the schools.
High School
“The high school is in the worst condition of all the schools but still is relatively sound structurally,” Hollis and Miller reported.
Issues in the school include slab cracking and settling in several areas. On the second and third levels, the floors are uneven where the 1989 addition is joined to the original building, erected in 1916.

WHERE does the district go from here?
For the elementary schools, Hollis and Miller recommended hiring civil and geotechnical engineers to survey and test the existing building grades. Their estimated budget for the work on the elementary schools are $30,000 to $40,000 for civil engineering services, $25,000 to $30,000 for geotechnical investigation, $250,000 to $350,000 for civil site contracting services and $250,000 to $300,000 for ground water remediation.
For the high school the firm recommends repairing the slab on grade issues in the southwest corner. They recommend a short term solution of mud-jacking or a long term solution of helical piers. Mudjacking attempts to lift a sunken concrete slab by pumping grout through the concrete, effectively pushing it up from below. It is the lower cost solution but will not prevent the issue from reoccurring in the future. Helical piers are a steel screw-in piling and ground anchoring systemused for building deep foundations. It is more expensive but can be a permanent solution. The school would be looking at close to $500,000 depending on which procedure they choose.
Superintendent of Schools Jack Koehn noted these are only structural issues they have looked at. The board still needs to look at replacing HVAC systems, making the buildings compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act, updating technology capabilities, and numerous other procedures if they choose to renovate the buildings.