Administrators in the Warren County R-III School District are addressing a concern with the foundation of one its buildings.In December a crack in the wall that is visible from both the exterior and interior of Black Hawk Middle School was located. The exterior separation is along a pillar that extends from the building and links brick and concrete together. That crack is at least a half-inch wide, with a staggering separation between brinks along the structure. Inside, the crack is noticeable in two sixth-grade classrooms that house math and social studies.Assistant Superintendent Dr. Aaron Jones said there are no safety concerns related to the situation but action is being taken to repair the foundation and walls.“There is some settling in the foundation around two of the classrooms on the front right side of the new entrance,” explained Jones. “The construction engineers came out last week and indicated it might have something to do with the drought we were in as well as the large oak tree in front of the building that may have been pulling moisture away.”Jones said there is no belief that the problem arose from recent construction of the middle school’s new entrance a few classrooms to the north along the circle drive.“We’re putting together a plan, and the engineers will provide quotes for what they can do,” said Jones. “They would probably come out and do some boring down into the soil to check the moisture levels. Based upon the information they find out, we would attack it from there.”Jones said the hope is to bring an update with bids to the school board during its monthly meeting on Feb. 8. He anticipates some of the repair work would have to be done inside the building, which means it would have to wait until spring break the final week of March.

Warren County School District administrators said a large crack visible inside and outside Black Hawk Middle could be a sign of settling in the building's foundation.