Building plaguing North Kossuth

Jennifer Brookens — Staff Writer
SWEA CITY — Given the large turnout, it was surprisingly quiet during a public hearing Monday to discuss the possibility of North Kossuth vacating the St. John’s building in Bancroft.

“It’s been discussed at the last two board meetings,” said North Kossuth Superintendent Mike Landstrum. “There is a timeline we have to follow in the closing procedure.”

Part of the procedure is informing the public and receiving feedback through hearings such as the one held Monday at Swea City. A second meeting is scheduled at the Bancroft facility on April 14.

The heart of the discussion revolves around the health risks posed by the St. John’s building. Concerns regarding asbestos ceiling spray and mold have been heightened this past year, as conditions at the building have deteriorated.

Pictures shown at the hearing included the warped and buckling gym floor.

“We’ve had three or four injuries, and we haven’t played any games there this year,” Landstrum said. “The buckling is the result of water falling on the floor.”

There were also pictures of yellowed ceilings in a third-grade classroom and in the second-floor hallways.

“They did fix the hallway last year,” Landstrum noted. “But in the third-grade room on the top floor, there are serious leaks. The paint up there does have asbestos, and asbestos is trouble when it’s disturbed.”

A recent inspection of the facility by George Rosburg of the Institute of Environmental Assessment in Mankato has added to the urgency of the situation.

“He noted that the ceiling on the second floor is bowing,” Landstrum said. “The worst-case scenario is if those tiles come down when the room is occupied.”

Because the district leases the building from St. John’s, it is St. John’s responsibility to address the removal or repairs.

In a letter to the district, Rosburg stated the water damage, visible leaks and sagging asbestos ceiling spray were “... a serious health & safety concern, and recommends North Kossuth Community Schools consider the asbestos removal and roof repair as a very high priority.”

The full report was not available Monday, but will be at next week’s hearing in Bancroft. Rosburg also will be present.

“Asbestos removal is about $70,000,” Landstrum explained. “There are no grants or anything available that address asbestos removal.”

The recent agreement for whole-grade sharing with Sentral leaves an open wing of the Swea City building to move elementary students up to Swea City for the next school year. However, the district is still in a lease with St. John’s until 2012.

“We pay $72,000 a year for rental of the St. John’s building,” Landstrum said. “St. John’s also receives about $30,000 from our hot lunch program, so that adds up to about $102,000 a year they receive from North Kossuth. We will still have to pay through the lease even if we aren’t using the building.”

But once the meeting was opened to public input, most speakers agreed what was best for the children was most important.

“There are so many things that are debatable,” one man said. “But the health of our students and staff are not debatable.”

So far, there has been no communication with either the Environmental Protection Agency or the Occupational Safety and Health Administration. The school district also has not yet contacted the board at St. John’s regarding the recent findings.

“We have a contract over 10 years with the IEA, and they come by three or four times a year,” Landstrum said. “These problems have been known for some time, and we’ve notified St. John’s of these problems.”

Pam Reynolds, a fifth-grade teacher, noted that if the elementary students were moved to Swea City, it would decrease transportation for teachers who teach in both buildings.

“Having it all in one school would be a lot more convenient,” she said.

“Why would we stay in Bancroft if we could be here and eliminate transportation problems and health problems?” asked Carolyn Russen.

One answer came from Jim Bollig, a former North Kossuth school board member.

“I cannot stress the importance of keeping a building in Bancroft,” he said. “You don’t want to get on a level playing field with Algona with Bancroft. You’re going to find a hole in the bottom of the bucket.”

While Bollig admitted the health concerns are a definite priority, he also said some Bancroft students could open- enroll to another district if the town loses its school building.

“This relationship is important to sustain,” he said. “It could be a devastating decision to make; you can’t take it lightly.”

The next hearing will be held 6 p.m. Monday at the St. John’s building.