Local News - July 2003

Repairs estimated at $50,000

NLHS vandalized

By JEREMY ASHTON, LTN Staff Writer

PUMPKIN CENTER — Vandals caused approximately $50,000 in damage at North Lincoln High School some time this weekend using a construction lift, according to the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office.

Lincoln County Schools’ spokesman Lyle Back said the school will open as scheduled Aug. 7, but the media center, which bore the brunt of the destruction, will likely not be ready in time.

The media center was scheduled to be inspected Monday.

Despite the setback, Back said the damage is “nothing that can’t be put right.”

“We’re not happy about vandalism or anything, but we’re glad that we can put these issues right and put them right quickly,” he said.

Construction workers were already fixing some of the destruction Monday. The repair costs will be covered by builders’ insurance carried by M.B. Kahn Construction Co., which is in charge of the school’s construction.

The school system has enlisted a security firm to patrol the site.

The vandals broke into the school some time Friday night or early Saturday morning, sheriff’s Detective Tim Johnson said.

They started in the media center, raising the lift and punching several holes in the ceiling. A number of bookshelves and the media desk were also damaged when the vandals tried to move them with the lift.

The vandals then forced the lift out of the media center into the main area of the school, damaging the door facing and the doors. They drove down several hallways, brushing up against the walls and knocking down pieces of sheet rock.

They made their way to the commons area at the front of the school, where they drove into two water fountains and smashed a window.

The rampage ended when the vandals drove out of the building through a side entrance and left the lift stuck upright in the mud.

North is being built for more than $26 million in bond money approved by Lincoln County taxpayers. The school is designed with a capacity for 1,200 students but will open in August with 650.

The classroom wings of the school had already been inspected before the incident this weekend and are ready for occupancy by teachers.

The school system is offering a $1,000 reward for any information leading to the arrest and conviction of the vandals.

Anyone with information should contact Johnson at 704-736-8866.

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Staff Writer Jeremy Ashton can be reached at 704-735-3031 or jashton@ltnews.com.

© 2001 Lincoln Times-News  

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