Martinsville, Illinois High School Still Faces Asbestos Issues

Students at Martinsville High School in Martinsville, Illinois won’t be entering their school building any time soon. The 2008-2009 school year started late after flooding last June nearly destroyed the building. The school once housed over 200 students, but now is considered unsafe. A year has passed since the floods, and the school is still closed. Residual flood damage, mold, and asbestos issues still plague the structure. The asbestos problem is particularly troubling, as airborne asbestos particles cane become lodged in the soft tissues of the lungs if they are inhaled. Exposure to asbestos is linked to lung cancer and mesothelioma.

Students are forced to attend classes in temporary structures provided by FEMA. The students will have to continue using the FEMA-supplied temporary classrooms until a new high school can be built. “We spent the whole last year working with FEMA, IEMA, our insurance company, our architect,” said superintendent Jill Rogers. “The plans are to tear down this building, and we will be building a new high school.” Martinsville students say they will never forget the day the flooding hit their school. “Never seen anything like that before,” said junior Josh Cribelar. “It was just like one big pond.”

The historic high school was built in 1921. The building will be torn down this summer, and the new high school will be erected on the site of the former school. School officials believe the new school will finally be ready by the fall of 2010.

Source: http://www.wthitv.com/dpp/news/news_wthi_terrehaute_martinsville_high_school_flood_060320092114