Friday, March 19, 1999
Return to torched school delayed
Wilson to reopen after spring break
BY SUE KIESEWETTER
Enquirer Contributor
HAMILTON — Wilson Junior High School students will stay at Hamilton High School a little longer than originally planned.
The opening of Wilson has been postponed to April 12, the first day students return from spring break, said Joni Copas, district spokeswoman. The school has been shut since a Jan. 15 fire gutted the music room and did more than $1 million damage to the school.
“The crews were unable to make the progress they wanted to in order to open next week,” Mrs. Copas said. “Everything is almost done. We felt it would be least disruptive to start after spring break. That way, if there's any last-minute repairs we weren't expecting, we'll have some time.”
Seventeen-year-old Tim Cummins of Hamilton has been charged as an adult with aggravated arson in connection with the fire. A 15-year-old boy pleaded guilty to juvenile charges of aggravated arson and other offenses. He has been sentenced to two years in a state juvenile detention facility.
Since the fire, Hamilton High School has been on a double schedule. High school students attend classes in the morning and Wilson students use the classrooms from early afternoon to 6 p.m. daily.
To accommodate the new schedule, about 10 minutes have been shaved from each period. Once Wilson reopens, both schools will resume normal schedules.
Bills for the repair work to date have topped $1 million, which have been covered by the school district's insurance, said Robert Hancock, Hamilton Schools treasurer.
“It's still climbing. We're just now entering the reconstruction phase of the work in the band room where the fire started and the science lab above it,” Mr. Hancock said. "You can't just wipe it down, put on a couple chemicals, paint it and be done like you can in the rooms that were smoke-damaged. We're looking at more serious damage that will take some time.”
The band room and science lab won't be finished when Wilson reopens. Those classes will be held elsewhere in the building. Monitors have been placed at Wilson to check the air to make sure that air quality standards are being maintained.
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