Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Facilities Gym Floor topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Oshkosh board weighs $1.6–$1.7M replacement of North High gym floor over mercury off‑gassing risk
Summary
After facilities staff reported that a buried poured‑in‑place urethane layer under North High’s wooden gym floor is degrading and “off gassing mercury vapor,” the board was asked to endorse moving forward with demolition, abatement and replacement this spring/summer at an estimated $1.6–$1.7 million, with funding options under review.
Oshkosh — District facilities staff urged the Oshkosh Area School District board on Wednesday to move ahead with replacing the North High School field house floor after tests showed the original poured‑in‑place urethane beneath the wood has deteriorated.
“At some point the urethane degrades and it off gasses mercury vapor which is harmful,” facilities representative Michael Fox said, summarizing environmental sampling and the district’s engineering assessment. He presented two choices: continue periodic sampling and delay replacing the floor, or begin demolition, abatement and installation of a new floor with work timed to limit disruption to the school year.
The district estimated the demolition, abatement and installation at about $1.6 to $1.7 million, a figure Fox described as a budget estimate “without bidding it out.” He and other staff outlined a replacement schedule that would aim to start abatement after spring break and complete construction over summer, noting an uncertain off‑gassing period for the underlying concrete that could extend work by months.
Facilities and finance committee members recommended the board favor moving forward rather than waiting because the current measured mercury‑vapor levels, while within permissible exposure limits today, have an unknown degradation trajectory. “The rate of degradation is unknown, posing a significant risk,” committee co‑chair said during the committee report.
Board members discussed funding options. Administrators said the likely approach would use a combination of sources, including any current‑year surplus and Fund 46 (capital improvement fund), which the facilities report indicated has a balance under $4 million and is earmarked for capital projects.
Members voiced health and continuity concerns. “Health is obviously the most important thing,” one member said, while others noted past delays on building problems that later produced greater disruption.
No formal vote to authorize spending occurred at the meeting; administrators said a resolution with funding options will be prepared for a future meeting and that the project would come back to the full board for approval.
What’s next: district staff will draft a resolution with funding alternatives and a proposed timeline; the facilities team said it will prepare bid materials and additional environmental monitoring information to support a decision at an upcoming board meeting.
