Exclusive look inside Lockport Central Campus as repair work goes on

Lockport — For the first time since 1909, Lockport High School Central has spent most of the school year vacant.

The building, which serves as the freshman campus, only housed students for little more than two months, and it closed Nov. 2, when it was discovered a classroom ceiling on the third floor had collapsed.

No one was injured, as the collapse apparently happened after school hours.

Classes in the building have yet to resume, as students have been bused to the unoccupied Lincoln-Way North building in Frankfort Square, while Lockport Township High School District 205 officials examine what would have to be done to repair the ceilings in the 114-year-old building.

Five months after the closure, after multiple rounds of inspections, tests and surveys, and significant demolition work, the building finally is ready to have the ceilings rebuilt.

The Herald-News was granted an exclusive tour of the building to see the full extent of the work being done, which provides a glimpse into the building’s extensive history.

Walking through the school, it is obvious how much work has been done, even in areas not currently undergoing construction. The school is eerily dark, as many areas have had the power shut off or had light fixtures removed, and surfaces are covered in a layer of dust.

Although desks and electronics have been relocated to Lincoln-Way North, it is very obvious the move was made quickly, as many bulletin boards still hold posters for fall and winter activities and some classrooms –including Room 310, where the collapse took place – still have homework assignments written on the white boards from months ago.

Although only one room was affected by the November collapse, architects and engineers hired by the district conducted a thorough inspection of the cause of the collapse and determined that ceilings using an outdated construction method that relied on metal mesh and heavy plaster were at risk of similar failure.

As a result, the district instructed contractors to remove all at-risk ceilings, which amounted to demolition in 23 classrooms and three hallways, mostly centered in the northwest corner and along the north end of the building constructed in 1929.

Demolition recently was completed, eliminating any immediate danger in the structure, and rebuilding will begin soon.

Revealing what’s behind the ceilings

Looking up, the extent of the ceiling inspections is obvious. In some hallways, dropped ceiling tiles are missing or askew where they were inspected, while others have been removed completely with exposed wallboard in place.

In the areas that are being replaced, the ceiling is entirely gone, giving a clear view of the towering attic space as well as the rafters and support structures of the roof.

In the 1929 section of the building, where most of the replacements are happening, there is an extensive latticework of wooden beams and rafters, as well as two ornately framed skylights that were sealed off and roofed over at some unknown time.

Before the recent construction, no one at the district knew they were there, District 205 officials said.

In the 1950s section of the building, which has a few ceilings removed and includes the unaffected gym, the wooden rafters are replaced with more modern metal structures and exposed brick, which remains from the original building’s exterior walls.

“You don’t get to see things like this very often,” said Janine Wheeler, the district’s interim communications director. “You don’t realize how much is up there.”

Currently, the hallways under construction are being lit with temporary lighting powered through a tapestry of extension cords, leading to less affected portions of the building.

The work in the school currently is between phases, as demolition has been completed and construction has yet to go out to bid.

Building engineer Anthony Galasso said that the district will be taking contractors on a bid walk-through Thursday, April 25, before the contract is awarded in May.

Repair work before ceilings

Before the new ceilings can go up, some additional carpentry and masonry work needs to be done on the exposed structures, and some piping and insulation repairs are required.

Galasso pointed out several portions of the brick and stonework cracked above the ceiling line.

“That could have happened a year after it was built,” he said. “We can’t know for sure, but now that it’s exposed, we may as well get it fixed so no water can get into it. Water is always the enemy for buildings like this.”

According to the maintenance report presented to the school board April 15, there are 20 feet of water pipes that should be replaced before the new ceiling is installed, and some asbestos insulation on first-floor pipes also must be removed because it has been compromised.

The asbestos removal and encapsulation project was put to emergency bid and will be completed between April 22 and May 15.

The mortar work also must be completed before the new ceilings are installed, but since it’s a project that is likely to cost less than $50,000, no public bid process is required, the district has said.

The district saw an $85 million building bond proposal get rejected by voters March 19, so the district has had to revise some of its project plans.

Overall, the total cost of the project, including demolition and reconstruction, was estimated at $2.5 million by DLA Architects before any work began. The demolition was completed by CCC Holdings Inc. for $479,000, and the reconstruction costs will be known after a bid winner is announced at the special board meeting May 13.

Work on reconstructing the ceilings is expected to begin May 20 and is scheduled for completion in time for classes to restart in the building as usual in mid-August.