Andrew School Closing
During a special Elk Island Public Schools board meeting on May 4, trustees voted to permanently close Andrew School on June 30.
The vote ended nearly four years of speculation over the school’s fate since the school first lost its high school program in 2019, then its junior high the following year due to declining enrolment.
Andrew Mayor Merwin Haight and Deputy Mayor Tammy Pickett attended the board meeting, speaking as delegates with Pickett pleading for the board to allow the village to keep their playground and other donated pieces of equipment.
“Please don’t throw any more salt in our wounds and pull our library and pull our playground and any of the other pieces of fitness equipment that can be utilized throughout the community,” she said.
Andrew School, first built in 1957 and lastly renovated in 1991, not only houses the school but also the Village municipal offices, fitness room, bowling alley, multi-purpose room and library.
Haight said no plans have been made yet to relocate those services.
In his allotted five minute speaking time at the meeting, Haight requested a copy of the original agreement between Lamont County School Board (which became part of EIPS in 1994) and the Village in sharing the school facility, citing concerns with the financial responsibility of disposing of the building.
“The Village will be potentially on for one third of the demolition
costs. And we’re assuming this would also include asbestos remediation and GST costs. For us to move forward, we need to see a copy of that original agreement,” he said.
“We have a lot of people that are concerned how this will affect their taxes. A $2 million loan for our Village would result in a $500 levy per year for 20 years on each piece of property above and beyond property taxes.”
Andrew School has faced structural issues since the early 2000s when a faulty sprinkler system caused a severe flood in 2003. Since then, regular leaking from the roof has been maintained by EIPS but not completely repaired. As a result, the damage accumulated and today the cost to completely repair the roof and sprinkler system is more than $3 million.
Liguori said there aren’t many viable options now.
“The building is at the end of its functional life, and without a significant investment of approximately $3.92 million by both EIPS and the Village of Andrew, the building will not be occupiable in the immediate future,” he said.
In addition to structural issues, the school has also faced declining enrollments. Liguori said the village has a population of 366 as of a 2021 census, a decline of over 13 percent from 2016.
Jana Semeniuk
Staff Reporter
READ MORE IN THE MAY 10, 2023 EDITION OF THE LAMONT LEADER
