Cleanup crews get to work on old school

As Harrisburg continues a crackdown on dilapidated properties, a work crew got busy Tuesday cleaning up the outside of the old Harrisburg junior high school.

Harrisburg Mayor John McPeek, Saline County Sheriff Keith Brown and Harrisburg Fire Chief John Gunning oversaw the Saline County Sheriff's Department work crew and the size of the task in front of them

"We're trying to get it looking as best we can," McPeek said, adding the city is working with the owner to gain possession of the property.

Action is being taken after the property, now abandoned, has been repeatedly vandalized. The building is no longer merely an eyesore but has become a hot spot for mischief which the department seeks to end.

"It takes time. It didn't get to looking like this overnight and it won't be fixed overnight either," Brown said.

Overall, he said, "We want to get the city back to the way it was."

At the abandoned school, the problems are confined to the outside, authorities said. There is water in the basement and a hole in the ceiling above the auditorium. The city is unsure if the building will be salvageable.

The county work crew has logged over 13,000 hours on various community projects, including clearing 22 dilapidated properties in Eldorado within the last few weeks.

"It's one of the biggest stances the city (Harrisburg) has taken the last few years," Gunning said.