INDUSTRY - Westlake High School floor cracks not a sign of problems, officials say

A strong cost and sustainability argument is made for the use and implementation of polished concrete floor systems.  This article highlights and defined the real, actual cost savings associated with the use of a polished concrete solution versus other popular solutions.

WESTLAKE, Ohio -- School officials say that spidery cracks in the polished concrete floors of the new Westlake High School are not an indication that those floors are failing.

The $50-million, 265,000-square-foot school opened in September to glowing reviews from many, but some residents have since raised questions about the cracks in the floor and about why there weren't enough lockers for students when classes started.

Superintendent Dan Keenan said the cracks -- none of which is large enough to get a fingernail in, he said -- are the result of the natural drying process of concrete. He described it as an aesthetic issue only. "Our floors are solid," Keenan said.

He said he recognizes that there are residents, including some students, who don't like the look of the concrete. But Keenan said the district chose that option because it's much cheaper than terrazzo and can be cleaned with only hot water and soap, rather than requiring regular stripping, waxing and buffing.

By choosing the concrete floors, the district saved about $1.8 million between the high school and the new Lee Burneson Middle School, which also has concrete floors, Keenan said. Those savings, which don't count the reduced maintenance costs, were redirected to classroom space, he said.

The superintendent said the district got input from residents before deciding on what to include in the building projects after voters approved an $84-million bond issue in 2010 for capital improvements. Tile floors would have been an even cheaper option, Keenan said, but the decision was made to install a so-called "lifetime" floor such as concrete or terrazzo.

He said the district decided to opt for a "well-equipped Chevy over a Cadillac." Keenan said that at the high school, where 63,690 square feet of the floors are concrete, the savings compared to terrazzo amounted to about $1.3 million.

Dave Puffer, supervisor of construction projects for the district, said the cracks are only on the surface of the floor. He said an additive was used in the concrete to provide a vapor barrier that prevents moisture from coming up from the ground. Like Keenan, Puffer said the cracking does not affect the integrity or functionality of the floors.

Keenan said the cracks are not in all areas, but some may extend 10 feet down a hallway, following a drying pattern.

As for the locker issue, Westlake High School Principal Tim Freeman said classes began with 110 fewer lockers than officials had asked for on construction drawings. Freeman said he discovered the shortage when he was able to get into the building, which was still under construction, in August. A new order was placed with the manufacturer by Aug. 28, at no additional cost to the district, to get the rest of the lockers that should have been shipped initially, Freeman said.

He said no lockers were assigned on the first day of school and that after that the available lockers were assigned first to freshmen and sophomores under the reasoning that underclassmen needed them most, then to juniors and finally to seniors. Freeman said about 51 seniors whose names fall at the end of the alphabet were left without lockers, but were given the option of using athletic lockers.

He said the ordered lockers arrived and were installed after about nine weeks so that as of this month all students have lockers.

Keenan emphasized that the number of lockers was correct on the drawings and that the error was in what was actually shipped. "It was unfortunate and inconvenient. Our kids didn't deserve that," the superintendent said. "I wish it could have been avoided."

There are still some projects to be wrapped up at the high school. Keenan said that, as planned, construction continues on the music wing at the high school, grass and landscaping will be done in the spring and other punch list items are being completed.

Source: Cleveland.com