When a pipe froze and burst in the ceiling over the Jefferson Village School library last month, it damaged flooring walls and equipment, and exposed a host of problems with the design of the building.
The latest estimates put the cost to replace the carpeting and base in the library and adjoining computer lab at $21,620. An insurance adjuster gave school and district officials a rough preliminary estimate that the books and other library materials destroyed may be valued at $10,000 to $20,000.
The process of replacing the damaged walls in the library, hallways and some first floor classrooms is underway, but at press time, no estimate is available for the cost of the work.
Following the flood, officials expressed concerns that the tile flooring in the hallways and classrooms on the first floor, as well as the wood floor in the gymnasium, might also need to be replaced.
Two experts have assessed the gymnasium floor, and both said there is no need to replace the floor because there is no risk of future damage to the floor from the water. There has been some worry over the possibility of mold from water trapped under the gymnasium floor, but a state air quality inspector who visited the building expressed no concerns.
It is believed that the radiant heating under the flooring in the gymnasium helps to dry any water trapped under the floor, said school Supt. Steve Bailey.
A flooring contractor, who toured the building late last month, recommended that the tiling in the hallways and classrooms be replaced; he estimated the cost to replace this flooring at $46,650.
However, the manufacturer of the flooring will evaluate the need to replace the tiling soon and offer a second opinion, Bailey said.
As they have since the flood, school and district officials believe the cost of repairs will be borne by the architects and/or the contractors who built the building. There should be no cost to the district from the flood, Bailey said.
Officials said the pipe – part of the school’s fire sprinkler system – froze because it was installed too close to the exterior of the building with too little insulation. It remains unclear whether this is a design problem or an installation problem.
To prevent freezing in the future, the reinstalled sprinkler system in the library will be exposed.
Because the roofing and sprinkler system is the same over the building’s two-story lobby as it is in the library, concerns were raised that the pipes over the lobby might freeze as well. In response, the district is exploring a glycol system – an antifreeze-like additive for the sprinklers over the lobby.
As originally designed, the sprinkler system in the entire upstairs is fed from a single point with no shut-offs for individual areas.
Changes to the sprinkler system in the upstairs that would allow individual zones to be shut off independently are currently being designed, Bailey said. This is necessary for the glycol system, if that option is pursued.