1/5/2012 7:30:00 PMCleveland's Almira School to relocate after inspection finds deteriorating structural beams

By Plain Dealer staff

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Students and staff from Cleveland's Almira School will be relocated after a custodian making a routine inspection noticed two structural support beams had deteriorated in a building housing the school at 3575 W. 130th St.

The elementary school had been shifted to the Nathaniel Hawthorne building while a new Almira School is under construction. As a safety precaution, students and staff will be relocated to the Brooklawn building at 11801 Worthington Ave., according to a news release from the district.

Almira will be closed on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday to make the transition to Brooklawn, about a mile away. Officials expect classes to resume on Thursday, Jan. 12.

Parents with questions about transportation to the new site can call 216-634-7021 or, for further questions and updates, 216-574-8378.

Structural engineers from Barber & Hoffman Consulting are conducting a site survey before making recommendations about the future of the Nathaniel Hawthorne building.

In late 2010, Cleveland officials abruptly closed the Kentucky Elementary building, after two roof-supporting beams there also were found deteriorating. Students, who were being temporarily housed there while a new Paul L. Dunbar School was built, also were shifted to Brooklawn. << See full story