The Danville District 118 School Board has unanimously approved the demolition of Cannon School. The vote was taken during Friday’s special meeting to award the bid to Lee Farms Excavating out of Paxton for $456,750.
Cannon School has been closed for over five years after suffering significant flooding damage. District 118 Director of Building and Grounds Skip Truex stated that continued water infiltration has made the building beyond repair to the extent that 15 million dollars would be needed to simply be able to even walk into it and do anything. Then, the work to make it an actual school again would cost several million more.
Truex says the funding for the project will come from the Building and Grounds budget, and that Lee Farms is such a huge company that for them taking down Cannon School will be, quote, “like taking down a garage.” He says asbestos abatement will come first, and then it should move pretty quickly.
Audio PlayerAUDIO: I’m expecting this project to be completed before the beginning of summer.
School Board member Johnnie Carey was Cannon School Principal from 1993 to ’97. She understands the condition of the building, but also has a heavy heart. Carey really would like to see an effort to put a special commemorative park or garden in this spot at 1202 East Main. As she said, they are tearing down the building of Cannon School, but not the name.
676 – Carey :27…memorial on that land.”
AUDIO: I love that building. But we knew even when I was there that there were some issues that were going to cost a lot of money to redo. We have to do what we have to do for the health and welfare of not only of the children but of the staff in the building. So it’s an unfortunate thing. And I do hope that the community could step to the plate and come up with some type of community initiative to do some type of memorial on that ground.”
Skip Truex said that an organized effort will be made, once the destruction is underway, for those who would like to have a souvenior brick from the Cannon School Building.
Meanwhile, District 118 Board President Dr. Randall Ashton announced during the meeting that since the CDC has dropped recommendations that masks be mandated on buses; masks are no longer required, but certainly optional, on District 118 school buses.
