Hot Water Heater At Oswego Junior High School Has 'Catastrophic Failure' Over The Weekend

OSWEGO, IL — The hot water heater at Plank Junior High School experienced a "catastrophic failure" over the weekend, resulting in a substantial water leak, district officials shared Monday morning.

Crews worked throughout the weekend to remove and replace the nearly 25-year-old unit and clean up the water damage. The school week wasn't affected since the issue occurred over the weekend.

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The issues were a result of hardware and gasket failure. The unit failed 24 years into the 25 years of service expectancy, according to a news release from Oswego Community Unit School District 308.

"Our team responded quickly and efficiently to address this failure and get everything cleaned up and replaced before students and staff returned," Ondre Schoensee, director of operations for District 308, said in a statement. "With aging mechanical equipment across the District, we know situations like this will continue to happen; we'll keep doing everything we can to keep our systems running as long as possible."

The water heater's failure comes weeks before the district is set to host a meeting Sept. 21 to discuss its $317 million referendum on the ballot for the Nov. 3 general election. Voters will be asked to fund critical upgrades as well as improvements to flooring, plumbing, electrical and building exteriors, according to a report from Shaw Local.

Officials said this weekend's water heater failure "reflects a broader pattern" across District 308. A recent districtwide facility assessment found many of the district's 22 buildings in fair or poor condition.

Many systems, including roofing and HVAC units, haven't been replaced since schools were originally constructed 20 to 25 years ago, according to Chief Communications Officer Theresa Komitas.

"[District leaders] continue to invest in proactive maintenance as annual budgets allow, and in long-range facility planning to minimize disruption to students and staff whenever possible," Komitas said in a news release.

The upcoming meeting to discuss the referendum will take place from 5:30-7 p.m. at the Oswego Public Library, 32 W. Jefferson St. Attendees will have the opportunity to ask questions of district staff from areas of finance, operations and communications.