Earthquake-Damaged School Gym in Illinois Causing Controversy

An earthquake that shook much of the Midwest months ago is giving a Metro East, Ill. school district some financial aftershocks.

Officials in East Alton say the April quake caused as much as $1.2 million in damage to the gymnasium in one of its elementary schools.

The district has earthquake insurance, but school officials say the insurer won’t pay because it claims the temblor wasn’t what caused the long, vertical cracks in the gymnasium.

The school system has hired a law firm. But the district said it is assessing options ranging from tearing down the structure without rebuilding, building a new gym or retrofitting the damaged one with steel.

Information from: The (Alton) Telegraph, http://thetelegraph.com