PROBLEMS MANY, COSTLY AT SCHULTZ SCHOOL

The floors are settling, the main floor is leaking, the parking lot is flooding and "it's seldom anywhere near comfortable" inside Louis J. Schultz School.

Principal Rob Huff said the building that houses seventh-grade classes for the Cape Girardeau School District is nearing the end of its usefulness as an educational facility. He said he hopes voters approve an $18 million bond issue to be considered April 4 to fund construction of a new school.

"The way education's changed with the technology we need, the labs really aren't appropriate for what we need," he said. "As the needs for older students increase, the needs for the younger students increase also."

Should the measure pass, the school district would issue bonds to fund construction of a new high school adjacent to the new Career and Technology Center under construction east of Interstate 55 and west of Kingshighway. The issue does not require a tax increase.

Grade levels would be reconfigured throughout the school district after the high school opened, and Schultz school would be closed. The building located at 101 S. Pacific is some six years older than Washington and May Greene schools, which were closed in January after the opening of the new Barbara Blanchard Elementary School.

Schultz originally was built as Central High School in 1914. A 15,000 square-feet addition was built onto the building in 1920, and a 5,000 square-foot vocational building was added in 1941.

In 1953, the building became a junior high school after the opening of the new Central High School. In 1963, the building was closed for major renovations while a junior high school was built, and in 1965, the building was reopened as a seventh-grade center.

Since then, extensive repairs have been made to the building, including replacement of the south wall in 1988, repairs after a portion of the cafeteria roof caved in 1992 and removal of a brick facade after it collapsed in 1996.

"I don't think it's going to fall down tomorrow, but it's not going to last much longer," said Huff. "There are just limitations to what you can patch."

No full structural analysis has been made of the building, although architect Dave Phieffer did inspect the building's exterior and make recommendations for repairs to the school board in 1996.

City councilman Melvin Gateley was principal at Schultz from 1965 to 1985. He said one of the basic problems was in the basement area. "There's a spring or something under the building, and during rainy weather, water comes in the dressing rooms and the gym."

Huff and John Eck, who was principal from 1994 to 1998, are familiar with the problem. Eck said the "spring" was discovered when an elevator was installed to meet federal handicapped-accessibility requirements. A system of sump pumps work constantly to keep water out of the elevator shaft and basement of the three-story building.

"A pump went out a couple of weeks ago during a heavy rain and we had some water in there," said Huff. "It's one of those things you keep checking daily because if you don't pump the water the elevator shaft fills up."

The building was constructed with durability in mind, but no plans were made for future technology needs. Wiring for technology including Internet access has been almost impossible, and the science labs are inadequate for current needs.

"I was first to have it when it was renovated, and what we had then was great for our needs," said Gateley. "I can understand how the needs have changed now."

The building allowed room for enrollment growth when it was built, but Huff said it's now at capacity. Stairways are narrow and jammed between class periods, and there isn't a room in the building large enough to fit the entire student body.

To compensate, student gatherings are held "in shifts" in the school library, the only air-conditioned room in the building.

"Even the gym is too small," Huff said. "It's not kind of full. It's packed to the point where you can't fit any more and it's dangerous."

The school is one of two in the district without air conditioning. Superintendent Dan Steska said plans are being considered to add air conditioning at Central High School, which would become a seventh-and-eighth-grade junior high school if the bond issue is passed.

Eck and Huff said conditions become miserable at Schultz school during hot weather. Heat indices a calculation of how hot the body feels of more than 110 have been recorded on the third floor of the building.

"It's a very architecturally pleasing building, but when it was redone, they didn't take into account removing the large windows would mean less air flow," Eck said. "It can get pretty hot on that third floor."

The building is difficult to heat also, said Huff.

"Even when it's cold, the old furnace system makes it difficult to equalize temperatures throughout the building," he said. "I try to make the greatest number of people the least unhappy."

Gateley, Eck and Huff all believe Schultz has served the school district and community well over the years. Eck, who lives near the school, wants the district to find a way to keep the building open.

"I fear what could happen when the district abandons downtown," he said. "I just have good feelings about the place and what goes on down there."

Gateley and Huff said they are sentimentally attached to the building but believe the district has needs the building can't meet.

"I spent 25 years of my life in that building -- I'm sentimental," said Gateley. "I hate to see it be abandoned, but I understand that times have changed."

SCHULTZ BUILDING CONCERNS

1. Walls are crumbling, tuck-pointing is needed.

2. Plaster on walls peels and flakes -- after walls are prepared for paingting, then painted, they peel and flake within a couple of months.

3. There is no auditorium or assembly areas.

4. The building is not conducive to technological advances/networking because of inadequate electrical wiring and outlets.

5. Stairways are narrow.

6. Rooms are much too small.

7. There is very little outside space or parking available due to land-locked conditions.

8. There are many complaints about the air quality in the building -- very dusty and moldy.

9. P.E. facilities are poor, gymnasium is small, there is no track for running, only a large open field with a back stop.

10. Kitchen floor is settling.

11. Steps are settling on the front and south of school.

12. Not all areas are ADA accessible -- elevator comes out in a classroom.

13. Drafty windows.

14. Inefficient thermostat controls.

15. No air conditioning.

16. Inefficient lighting.

17. roof is near the end of its life.

18. Street/side parking lot flooding.

19. No intercom/telephone in classrooms.

20. It would be hard to lock down the classrooms if needed due to lock design.

21. Poor front-door monitoring.