The plan of attack for correcting structural concerns within the Mary Herbert Education Center is still unclear at this time, however, USD 253 Board of Education members received more information on the subject during its regular board meeting Wednesday evening.
According to a report to the board as part of its regular meeting Wednesday, measurements of the facility were taken by KC Pro, a Kansas City-based foundation and repair company, on December 12 which showed no signs of “imminent danger” at that time according to USD 253 Director of Maintenance and Grounds Cory Nicolet.
This was the second report delivered on the matter over the past two months after Nicolet first discussed the structural concerns of the facility back in December. At that time, Nicolet stated the district essentially had two options, they could arrest the degradation – halt the sinking – or they could “correct it” meaning they restore the building to its original integrity by lifting it.
Nicolet was speaking specifically about the building’s columns noting there could be many other areas of needed work depending on which way the board chooses to go. Nicolet says that additional work could lead to larger price tags for either option which led to his current recommendation which is for the board to develop a plan before consulting engineers.
The cost of lifting the building is estimated to be around $1 million, if not more while the cost to arrest the sinkage would be closer to $250,000. While less expensive, Nicolet did note last month that halting the situation is not a permanent solution to the problem.
USD 253 Board President Lillian Lingenfelter spoke with KVOE News following the meeting and said the district does not have a definite option at this time, however, she is confident in the district’s fiscal ability to address whichever direction they choose to go.
Additional conversations are expected in the coming weeks.
In a separate matter, district technology staff are planning to attend an upcoming webinar dealing with a recently reported potential data breach of PowerSchool, the student information system provider utilized by various school districts across the nation including USD 253. Thus far, there is nothing to indicate that district students’ information has been compromised.
The district is awaiting further information and will release additional updates in the coming days.
In other business Wednesday, board members received the district’s audit report for the 2023-24 school year which showed 253 had followed all rules for federal programs, had no weaknesses or concerns identified in systems used for managing federal funds and all reporting was done accurately and efficiently.
The USD 253 Board of Education will next convene on Wednesday, January 22 at 6 pm inside Emporia High School.
