Maintenance improvements were a prevailing topic of Monday’s Waterloo School Board meeting.

The board approved many of these projects, which were discussed in an earlier Building and Grounds Committee meeting.

With Monday’s approval, the school district will continue its investigation – and hopefully find a permanent fix for – settling at Rogers Elementary that began after the front parking lot was re-done years ago. 

“It really is an emergency situation,” Waterloo Superintendent of Schools Brian Charron said. “Bottom line: Water is not effectively getting away from the building, and we think it is directly causing the settling issue that is isolated to the front of the building from (principal) Brian Smith’s office area over to the library area.” 

The board also authorized Charron to enter the district into a contract with Rubber Safe LLC for playground mulch. 

Also per board action, the district will be moving forward with parking lot improvements, Charron said the rising cost of petroleum may threaten the timeline of such projects. 

“We have several items that we definitely want to do, we also have alternates that are identified depending on where the bids come in for the project. We’re a little bit concerned about fuel prices since this is a petroleum-based product that would be used,” Charron said. 

The district is hoping to soon replace the fire alarm system at the junior high, which Charron said is “completely out of date,” and replace doors at Zahnow Elementary. He warned that the cross-industry labor shortage may make the latter particularly complicated. 

In addition, the district is working on addressing water damage across schools and a sewer back-up problem that occasionally pops up at the high school. 

“It’s happened twice this school year and probably four or five times since I’ve worked in the district, where there’s a sewer backup in D hall at the high school’s bottom floor,” Charron said. 

Many things are returning to normal for the district. Board member and member of the WHS Legacy Society Jodi Burton announced the 2020 honorees, which she hopes will be up on the wall near the WHS auditorium later this week. She noted the delay was due to the COVID-19 pandemic. For more information, click here. 

As WHS principal Lori Costello reported, post-prom fundraising was cut short this year due to the uncertainty of COVID. Donations can be sent to WHS c/o Post Prom at 505 E. Bulldog Blvd., Waterloo. Questions can be sent to postprom@wcusd5.net. 

The district is also in the middle of testing season. 

Last week, Rogers Elementary took the Illinois Assessment of Readiness and the junior high is taking them this week. Gardner Elementary will begin testing in the following weeks.

The board also approved many contracts and salaries, accepted resignations and approved employment.

They approved a four-year commitment to the Mississippi Valley Conference for athletics.