BY SUSAN DeMAR LAFFERTY The Star
An apology and a suggested list of donations were offered to Summit Hill School District 161 officials at last week’s meeting after a Dumpster full of furniture was tossed out.
Construction manager Jim Clumpner, of Architectural Resources, said he thought he was “doing the right thing” by throwing out lunch tables and chairs from the former junior high building.
“It was a misunderstanding on my part. I did what I thought I had to do to get this project ready for (asbestos) abatement,” he told the board.
Carlene McGill said she wants to turn this “huge negative into a positive.”
If her school district no longer needs the furniture, she wants it donated to places that could use it, such as the Chicago Public Schools, which have such items on their wish list. She believes churches and shelters also could benefit. Another option would have been to sell the goods at a community auction to raise money for the district or a charitable organization, she said.
“Where do we get off being so arrogant that we ignore the needs of the less fortunate?” she asked. “It’s bureaucratic laziness.”
With the opening of the new junior high, the former building is being remodeled as an elementary school.
Outdated materials, such as bleachers, toilets and sinks are being tossed but it was not their intention to throw away usable furniture, Superintendent Keith Pain said. He blamed the incident on “miscommunication,” and thanked McGill for alerting the district.
School officials said it will be stored until they decide what to do with it.
McGill, who lives across the street from the old school, called the district office Monday morning when she saw a Dumpster filled with “useable” furniture being hauled away.
“I was sickened,” she said.
Dean Gerdes, director of finance and support services, visited the site Monday with McGill.
“I understood that they were starting with bleachers and lockers. I had no idea they would be moving furniture Monday. I was completely surprised that they put any furniture in that Dumpster,” he said later.
He said he explained to McGill that they were looking for ways “to properly dispose of the equipment.” Two other school districts looked at it, but were not interested, he said.
There are many other unanswered questions about this incident, said former board of education member Denise Wildeveld.
“If that furniture was good enough to be used in June, why is it trash now? If they were truly saving it, why didn’t they have storage bins out there before Wednesday? Wouldn’t it be cheaper to haul it to the Chicago Public Schools than store it?” she asked. She said there was material in the Dumpster Wednesday that appeared to be broken up desks and relatively new lockers.
Wildeveld, who stepped down from the board this spring, said the issue of what to do with this furniture was “never discussed” by the board.
