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New Galesburg Elementary Building Delayed

T.J. Carson
The new Silas-Willard building is being built next to the current one on Fremont Street.

The Galesburg School District will have to wait another year before the new Silas-Willard school is ready to hold classes.  The district's plan to open the $18.3 million dollar building this fall experienced a couple delays recently.

Assistant Superintendent David Black said one delay concerned building materials.

“One of the suppliers that quoted and sold us a specific design for brick no longer makes that brick,” Black said. “So at their cost they took and redid a lot of the panels and put the new style of brick on.”

Black said that delay added three months to the timeline for completion.  It now appears the building will be ready no sooner than April 2016.

Black said the other delay was caused by the local historical society in regards to what would happen to the current Silas-Willard building. Black said the current building will come down, with parts of it incorporated into the new building.

Black said there is also interest from the public in acquiring parts of the current building.

“We will probably sell some of the items from the old building. We’ve already been approached by different people wanting pieces of wood from the floor of different rooms, light fixtures, etc.”

The new building on Fremont Street will house kindergarten through eighth grade students.