Over the last several months, the Island Trees facilities staff has watched a depression grow on the Island Trees High School track. Initially, the maintenance staff tried to resolve the issue by filling in the impression, but the repair was only temporary. The depression continues to grow and our in-house corrections have not fixed the problem.  This week we brought in an architectural firm to conduct a walk-through and provide the district a first impression. Without a very in-depth examination of the entire bleacher and track area, the architects could not provide an answer to our problem.  The sinkhole issue could be caused by a number of things, including a collapsing drywell.    

The idea of a drywell caving in on the high school campus creates great concern for the district. After all, this area is frequented by so many people in the community; most importantly, students.  In response, we plan to temporarily close the track, as well as relocate the home bleachers until a more detailed analysis is conducted.  Next week the area is going to be examined by "ground penetrating radar" and we expect a report shortly thereafter.  Once we have the report, we will share the findings with the community.

In the meantime, we will ask for your patience and understanding.  If you have further questions, please feel free to contact me.

Thank you.

Charles Murphy, Superintendent of Schools