Aging ungracefully

Every time it rains outside, it also rains inside Susan Bartlett's kindergarten classroom at Alma Schrader Elementary.

"It started about three years ago with a small drip, now the janitors hang trash bags from the ceiling to catch all the water," Bartlett said. "And if we have several consecutive days of rain, it drips a whole lot and we use a number of trash bags, buckets and trash cans to catch the water."

Maintenance problems like the one in Bartlett's classroom are prominent throughout three of the Cape Girardeau School District's oldest buildings -- Franklin, Jefferson and Alma Schrader elementary schools.

While administrators say the maintenance staff works diligently to alleviate such problems, the district is five years behind on its long-range maintenance plan -- a situation caused by years of financial strain and a strong focus on new construction at Central High School and the Career and Technology Center, according to chief financial officer Rob Huff.

"Many of these problems can't wait any longer, they need to be fixed immediately," Huff said. "But if you've got 10 roofs badly in need of repair, which one are you going to fix first?"

To answer that question, and to prioritize other maintenance needs within the district, Huff, facilities director J.B. McClard, his assistant Barry Pender and school board members William Bird and Charles Haubold formed a facilities committee two years ago.

A yearlong study of each of the district's 10 buildings by the committee and outside consultants produced an in-depth report that covers the buildings from top to bottom -- exteriors, interiors and the mechanical, electrical and control systems.

Leaking roofs at Alma Schrader and Jefferson, which share the same original building plan, were listed as top priorities during a presentation on the long-range maintenance plan made by Huff at a school board meeting Monday.

Huff said district officials now have a plan in place that would allow them to catch up on the numerous problems by socking away an estimated $300,000 per year for the next five years for maintenance projects, beginning with the leaking roofs this summer.

Huff said the funding for the five-year plan will come from general revenue, now that the district is making some progress on building up funds after the completion of large construction projects.

Walking on a sponge

It will be welcome relief for McClard and his seven-person maintenance crew, who make several trips to Jefferson and Alma Schrader every month to patch leaks.

"Walking on those roofs is like walking on a sponge, that's how bad it is," said McClard, who is in his second year as facilities director but as been employed with the district for over 20 years.

McClard said much of the problem stems from the schools' flat roofs, which retain water left by rain, snow and sleet.

Evidence of the deteriorating rooftops is clearly visible inside the elementary schools. At Jefferson, water-damaged ceiling tiles have been removed.

Walls have also been damaged by water, leaving peeling paint, cracks and unsightly brown water spots.

"We've been fortunate there aren't too many signs showing on the interior of the building," McClard said. "Honestly, I don't know how they aren't showing."

Principals at Jefferson and Alma Schrader say activities of students and teachers aren't too disrupted by the leaks, thanks to the efforts of maintenance workers.

"We do have to put out buckets to catch the water sometimes, but the maintenance crew stays right on top of these things so it's not too big a deal," said Jefferson principal Mark Cook, whose own office recently developed a leak. Workers are still trying to find the leak's source.

Franklin Elementary, the district's oldest building since the closing of Louis J. Schultz School last year, has its own share of problems, although a leaking roof is not one of them.

Built in 1926, Franklin's age is beginning to show, especially when it comes to the heating and air conditioning systems, which officials say are inefficient.

"As far as the heat and air conditioning goes, I'm just happy when it works just a little," said principal Rhonda Dunham.

According to the facility committee's report, Franklin's main heating and cooling systems were installed in 1973. The school's gas-fired hot water boiler, which supplies heat to the building, has no automatic controls and also tends to leak.

"It runs continually and operates at maximum all the time," McClard said. "That equals big-time energy consumption."

McClard said finding parts to fix Franklin's heating and cooling is also difficult, because the systems are so old. Through their report, members of the facility committee have recommended that systems be replaced and estimate the cost of a new system at more than $88,000.

"That's going to be a tough one because there's more there to do than we can afford in one year," Huff said. "We may seek some sort of performance contract so we can spread the work out over several years."

The school district also hasplans to build an addition onto Central Junior High, where a lack of space in the cafeteria forces the school to hold six lunch periods for the 672 seventh- and eighth-graders.

Last year, the building housed 10th- through 12th-graders, most of whom took advantage of the school's open-campus policy. So the cafeteria's size was not an issue.

"It's really had a negative effect on instruction, because they're building their entire schedule around lunches," Huff said.

Huff said the district is estimating that an addition to the cafeteria will cost around $200,000, although he isn't sure when they will begin accepting bids for the project.

cclark@semissourian.com

335-6611, extension 128