Coal City School District is wrapping up several summer construction and maintenance projects as it prepares for the start of the 2026-27 school year.
The biggest job is a $1.7 million roof replacement at Coal City Middle School. District officials said crews are completing the final phase, replacing the building’s original 26-year-old roof. Work began in summer 2025 and is expected to be finished before students return.
For mason contractors and restoration crews, the most trade-relevant work is happening at the Early Childhood Center, where the district awarded a $404,370 contract to Atlas Restoration for structural repairs after settling caused cracks in masonry walls.
District officials said an investigation found changing moisture levels in the soil beneath the building contributed to the settling. The repair plan includes slabjacking, a process that injects high-density expanding foam beneath a concrete floor to raise and stabilize affected areas. In buildings with masonry walls, that kind of stabilization work can be a key step before, or alongside, crack repair so movement does not keep telegraphing through the wall.
Superintendent Chris Spencer said the building has remained safe throughout the project, and the repairs are part of the district’s ongoing maintenance efforts. Some floor tiles damaged during the work are being replaced with temporary mismatched flooring, and the district plans to install new flooring after structural work is complete.
Read the full, original article from WCSJ News here.