After two months of consideration and searching for alternatives, the fate of the Hammer School building has been decided – demolition.

Tuesday, April 03, 2001

After two months of consideration and searching for alternatives, the fate of the Hammer School building has been decided – demolition.

The District 241 school board approved a $3,500 bid for demolition of the building, located on the corner of Bridge Avenue and Hammer Road. According to Bruce Olson, director of facilities and transportation, the project will begin as soon as the ground is dry and firm enough to support the weight of heavy equipment.

The bid was significantly lower than the $20,000 the district had budgeted for the demolition.

&uot;I’m hoping it will be finished by the end of April,&uot; Olson said. Dulas Excavating of Wells will perform the job, which will take about a week. After it brings down the 75-year-old building, it will fill the hole with gravel.

Olson recommended demolition after talking with four parties interested in moving the structure. Due to access problems, Olson said, relocating the building proved impractical. The structure is too tall to fit under the Bridge Avenue/I-90 underpass, and crossing arms at the train tracks on Hammer Road toward County Road 46 make that route impassable.

&uot;Once they took a look at the building and considered their options, they all decided it was just too difficult to move it,&uot; Olson said.

For years the old school building, located on the corner of Bridge Avenue and Hammer Road, has served as a storage and locker facility for soccer and track. It was originally built in the 1920s as a two-room school house for School District 107.

Olson told the board two months ago that the building is no longer needed, and looming maintenance concerns with the roof and siding could be more expensive for the district than the building is worth.

State funding is available for demolition of old school buildings, said Olson, and the project is already in the district’s capital budget.

A new high school marquee, recently approved by the city council, will be installed on the Hammer School site after demolition.