Lake Zurich school board may let May Whitney building stand, for now

To tear down or not to tear down.

That's the question facing Lake Zurich Unit School District 95 officials as they ponder what to do with the old May Whitney school building nearly three years after it was found to be mold-infested. The facility was closed in 2007.

Board members weighed the options during a committee meeting Thursday night.

No action was taken, but the early opinion is to leave it standing for now. Demolition would be costly, especially at a time when the district deals with a drop in state funding.

"If it wasn't for a financial issue, the consensus would be to tear it down. The real issue is what is the fiscally responsible thing to do," said board member Doug Goldberg. "I don't know what the answer is."

Assistant Superintendent for Business Jeff King said demolition would cost at least $750,000. That cost includes removing an underground tank on the site.

May Whitney was abandoned when mold was discovered after a flood. Students were moved into the Annex, a separate building connected to May Whitney though an enclosed passageway that did not flood. The former school is used by the for storage of old school supplies and furniture.

Since the mold was first discovered, some parents have raised concerns there could be cross-contamination between the old May Whitney and the Annex, through maintenance doors or by items being moved in and out of storage. Those doors have since been sealed off, and threat of contamination is not an issue according to Illinois Department of Public Health studies, King said.

Because the building doesn't pose an immediate hazard and money is tight, officials may opt to do nothing at this point.

"This is not on an urgent list," said board President Kathy Brown. "We don't need to do this in a year and take money away from repairing some of the buildings our kids are in now. I just don't want to take money from something else we need more right now. We all want to tear it down, but I just don't see the urgency."