Tuesday, December 30, 1997
Building will have to undergo extensive repair
By KEN ELLSWORTH Senior Staff Writer
CROSS PLAINS - Cross Plains High School will have to undergo
extensive structural repair before the entire building is safe
again, according to reports received Monday from an engineer.
The school was damaged in a Dec. 7 fire for which three Cross
Plains youths have been charged with arson.
School officials are hopeful, however, that five of the building's
15 classrooms will be fit for use by Jan. 5 when students return
from Christmas and New Year's holidays.
"Part of the south wall and roof will have to come down,"
Superintendent Jackie Tennison said Monday as he walked through
the facility that still smells of smoke. "I just received
the report from the structural engineer this morning."
The heat of the fire caused steel beams to expand at the south
end of the building. The expanding beams pushed the brick walls
of the structure outward, Tennison said.
As much as a third of the building will have to come down and
be rebuilt, Tennison estimated. He said he would try to meet with
trustees Friday to determine how to proceed. He added he expected
the board would want to rebuild the damaged portion of the structure
and have it ready for classes by the fall of 1998.
"It's just terrible that it had to happen to a building
as nice as this. This is probably the nicest building overall
I've ever worked in," Tennison said.
A portion of the high school was just completed last year at
a cost of $400,000. No dollar estimates of the damage have been
received from insurance adjusters.
Repairs are proceeding rapidly on the north side of the building
to prepare the five least-damaged classrooms and connecting hallways
for students who will resume their studies Jan. 5.
"That'll get us out of the auditorium and the gym, and
that will help a bunch. That's about all we can do for this year,"
Tennison said.
Jim Ned ISD donated a portable building to be used for classes.
Other students are scattered throughout the campus, but there
is no working central clock with a bell. In addition, the intercom
system doesn't work.
"It is difficult this way, but we're making it,"
Tennison said.
Some 3,000 library books have been treated for smoke and water
damage but will have to be checked individually for damage.
"The public library has said we could check out books
there, so we'll probably be busing students over there to get
books," Tennison said.
The lingering smell of smoke in the classrooms is a concern.
Tennison suspects most of the smell comes from the ventilation
system that has already been throughly cleaned but which needs
to be turned on and aired out.
"We can't have kids in here smelling smoke all day,"
he said.
In one damaged classroom, some 200 fire darkened sports trophies
that survived the heat sit on the floor. Another 100 or so trophies
melted and did not survive. Some of the trophies dated to the
school's beginnings.
"We lost all our pictures of students who had gone to
state. During the last homecoming a lot of people, some of them
over 70, asked about their trophies, and we were able to show
them we still had them. Next homecoming, I guess a lot of them
(trophies and pictures) won't be here," Tennison said.
But he praised the students for coping positively.
"Lots of boys and girls have turned into young adults
in this situation. They've matured and helped out and really come
around for us," Tennison said.
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Abilene Reporter-News / Texnews / E.W. Scripps Publications
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