INSPECTOR OKS KENNEDY GYM : MANY PARENTS, STUDENTS NOT REASSURED.Byline: Sherry Joe Crosby Daily News Staff Writer A Los Angeles Unified School District The Los Angeles Unified School District (the "LAUSD") is the largest (in terms of number of students) public school system in California and the second-largest in the United States. Only the New York City Department of Education has a larger student population. structural engineer determined Kennedy High School's quake-damaged gymnasium gymnasium In Germany, a state-maintained secondary school that prepares pupils for higher academic education. This type of nine-year school originated in Strasbourg in 1537. is safe Thursday, but parents and students said they're still upset they weren't notified that it has been settling into unstable ground. The inspection came one day after the Daily News disclosed a series of geotechnical reports that described the settling of the earth beneath the gym. Also, eyewitnesses reported seeing buckling buckling Mode of failure under compression of a structural component that is thin (see shell structure) or much longer than wide (e.g., post, column, leg bone). Leonhard Euler first worked out in 1757 the theory of why such members buckle. floorboards, falling ceiling tiles and widening cracks in the plaster Plaster A plastic mixture of solids and water which sets to a hard, coherent solid and which is used to line the interiors of buildings. A similar material of different composition, used to line the exteriors of buildings, is known as stucco. . ``In order to ensure that the parents, students and staff feel comfortable in the building, Mr. (John) Treadaway reinspected the building today and formally certified See certification. that it is still safe to occupy,'' Beth Louargand, general manager of the LAUSD LAUSD Los Angeles Unified School District (Los Angeles, CA) Facilities Services Division, wrote in a memo to school board member Julie Korenstein, whose district includes the Granada Hills campus. Korenstein said the memo she received from Louargand assures her the building is safe, but she still wants to see the formal inspection report. ``I wanted documentation on it and it wasn't forthcoming,'' she said, referring to requests she made Wednesday. ``This is the first thing that says it's safe. This is the first thing that I've seen in writing.'' Louargand did not return repeated phone calls. Treadaway, the chief of design and engineering for the district, and other school officials also could not be reached for comment. Before Thursday's memo, the only document district officials could produce was a structural engineer's assessment based on a February 1994 inspection that concluded the building was unsafe, and recommended repairs, which were completed within weeks. Since then, the building has been visited between ``10 and 20 times'' by federal and state engineers, and local officials, but the district - until Thursday - did not have any formal written statement calling the building safe, Louargand said. Kennedy High Principal Warren Mason - reached at home by telephone Thursday evening - said he had not been notified of the results of the inspection, and said that unless he receives written certification of the building's safety he will close the gym Monday. ``We're waiting for documentation,'' Mason said. ``I need something from engineers saying it's safe for staff and students to go in there.'' Parents and students - who were never told that the gym building had not been formally certified as safe - said they were upset at not being informed, and remained unconvinced of the structure's integrity. ``This is the first time I've heard about it,'' said Antonio Giron, as he waited outside the school for his daughter. ``They should at least repair it.'' ``What if another earthquake comes? (The gym) should be done all over again,'' added Mayela Alvarez, whose two daughters attend the school. Cindy Bates Bates , Katherine Lee 1859-1929. American educator and writer best known for her poem "America the Beautiful," written in 1893 and revised in 1904 and 1911. , whose 14-year-old twin girls attend ninth grade at the school, said, ``I'm concerned about it. They should replace it or repair it. We want our children to have the best. I'd rather they have a safe place to play.'' Students also said they want proof that the gym they use for physical education classes, basketball and volleyball volleyball, outdoor or indoor ball and net game played on a level court. An upright net, 3 ft (or 1 m) high, the top of which stands 8 ft (2.43 m) from the ground for men, 7 ft 4 1/8 in (2. games, and other school events is certified as safe. ``It'll be better if there's a piece of paper saying it's safe,'' said Maria Barraza, 15. ``I would need a piece of paper saying it's been inspected and safe,'' said Sendy Monroy, 17. Louargand's memo acknowledges that the building is still moving, adding that permanent repairs have been delayed pending negotiations with the Federal Emergency Management Agency The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is the federal agency responsible for coordinating emergency planning, preparedness, risk reduction, response, and recovery. The agency works closely with state and local governments by funding emergency programs and providing technical to finance improvements, estimated at $800,000, to stabilize stabilize See peg. the foundation by installing 8-foot pillars underneath the western portion of the gym to anchor it against further slippage Slippage The difference between estimated transaction costs and the amount actually paid. Notes: Slippage is usually attributed to a change in the spread. See also: Spread, Transaction Costs Slippage . ``The school has evidence which has been shared with FEMA FEMA, n.pr See Federal Emergency Management Agency. that the building is still settling to a small degree,'' the memo said. Cindy Zamudio, 14, said she tries to avoid the most heavily damaged areas of the gym. ``Right here, it's all right,'' she said, indicating a gym weight room where parquet wood floors gleamed and students worked out on weight equipment Thursday. ``I don't think about the earthquake unless I go by areas where the walls are a little cracked.'' CAPTION(S): Photo PHOTO Kennedy High School student Cindy Zamudio, 14, works out as others observe. An LAUSD inspection Thursday certified the gym's safety. Tina Gerson/Daily News |
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