When rain inundated the area on Father’s Day, June 21, streets and yards were flooded. Unfortunately, so was the gym at Serena Hills Elementary School in Chicago Heights.

The District 161 school board got news of the problem at its June 29 meeting when Assistant Superintendent of Business Operations Fran LaBella reported the school’s gym was flooded twice. The building remains open for summer school programs, although there has been some rearranging of useable space. The district has hired two experts to offer their insights on where the water is coming from and how best to remedy the situation.

It is estimated the area had as much as 3 inches of rain in a very short time span, LaBella said. The belief is that the water seeped in around the east wall courtyard where landscaping work had been done, but she couldn’t say that contributed to the problem. 

Scott Stachacz, director of buildings and grounds, said his team was able to recreate the leaks into the building. Water also impacted a space under the gym that was used for storage. There are four roof drains in the area, but Stachacz said he was not certain that they contributed to the problem.

Insurance will pay for the clean-up expenses, but not for remediation work. LaBella said by the end of the week she expected to have some ideas on how to correct the problem.

Flossmoor Hills humidity corrected

LaBella reported that the latest work to seal Flossmoor Hills School appears to be working.

The district has been dealing with excessive humidity issues at the school. The problem was first noticed after air conditioning units were installed in 2020. The humidity and moisture problems caused dripping from the ceilings in several rooms. The problems were seasonal and were especially severe in July and August.

The latest remedy was creating an envelope or barrier from the outside of the building. With that work completed, tests were conducted to determine if the work met air tightness standards. LaBella reported “no weeping and no wetness.  Hopefully, we’re there.”

Other school projects 

New air conditioning and insulation were being installed at Western Avenue School in Flossmoor this summer.

Summer cleaning is ongoing at each of the district’s five schools.

Work at Parker Junior High is on schedule. Major projects at Parker include painting, new carpeting, remodeling of bathrooms and administrative offices, and other work throughout the building.

Special thanks

The board offered its thanks to Scott Stachacz, director of buildings and grounds, for all his work in District 161 schools the past 12 years. He is leaving District 161 for a position with an Oak Lawn school district.