Decatur Public School Board continues discussion on repairs and updates for buildings

DECATUR, Ill. (WAND)- One year ago, this week Decatur Public Schools closed Dennis Kaleidoscope and Mosaic campuses, due to serious structural dangers.

 

Students have been attending class at the District's Garfield Alternative School and modular classrooms installed outside. 

 

Instead of beginning immediate repairs, DPS 61 chose to conduct a structural engineering review of all district buildings. 

 

The board is now expected to review the data and make larger decisions about which schools need to be repaired or torn down. 

 

On Tuesday night, the board heard the final review of buildings including the Dennis Schools. 

 

 

Kyle Hannel, Project Manager, Klinger & Associates said, "We're going to recommend its stays unoccupied, for this area, until repairs can be made. The safety risk of that collapsing down. Its got the surrounding 1973 additions on the sides of it and its up in the air, 2 at least 2-stories in the air, from the grad. So if the wall goes down, it could be a total collapse of everything there."

 

The District expects to continue housing Dennis students in the alternative site for at least one additional year. 

 

The board is expected to decide on repairs and renovations later this summer.