Lindenhurst to repair middle school building

The Lindenhurst School District is using a third of its capital improvements fund to repair its aging middle school.

The school board earlier this month approved an emergency capital project resolution dedicating nearly $100,000 to repair cracks in the Lindenhurst Middle School on Wellwood Avenue. The money will come from this year's budget, leaving the district with about $220,000 in the fund, said Superintendent Richard Nathan.

There are three vertical cracks in the building and water leaks are causing damage, said John Marek, plant facilities administrator for the district.

One crack is in the oldest part of the building, which dates to 1930, he said. The crack is on a corner of the brick facade and runs from the ground to the third floor. Other, smaller cracks are in an addition to the building, built in the 1950s, and they run about one story high, he said.

Although the brickwork has loosened, it is a steel-frame building and the structure is sound, Marek said.

Some temporary fixes will be done immediately, Marek said, including drilling steel stabilizing pins into the bricks. "At this time, we do not feel there is any danger of anything falling down," he said. "We're just afraid of more water getting in and causing more damage."

All areas of the building will remain in use by students, he said. "We're going to do something quick and then in the summer we'll complete the project," Nathan said. "We're trying to be as proactive as we can."

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Districtwide, he said, there is still a need for about $1 million worth of roof work as well as other repairs.