Just over a week after a pipe burst in the ceiling over the Jefferson Village School library, it is still unclear how extensive the damage is, or how much it will cost to repair it.
An insurance adjuster visited the school twice in the last week – once on Jan. 19 and once on Jan. 23. The damage is still being inventoried, but the 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 damage resulted from a burst pipe in the school’s emergency sprinkler system on Jan. 17. When the pipe thawed around 10 a.m., it flooded water in to the library for about a half an hour before it was shut off. The school was closed that day for teacher workshops, and no children were present.
At press time, AOS 93 Supt. Steve Bailey is relatively certain there will be no cost to the school district or town for repairs resulting from the incident. “In my own view, that should not be the town’s responsibility,” Bailey said. He expects the repairs to be paid by the insurance companies for the contractors and/or architects, with no negative impact on the school’s insurance.
ServPro, a company that specializes in cleaning up water damage after fires, is working to dry the building out. The school has been open and students have not missed any class time as a result of the flood.
Currently, sheetrock is being replaced and other work is ongoing in the library. The cost of those minor repairs is not known at this time.
Although there is no significant damage to rooms other than the library, it appears there may be damage to the flooring in the library, hallways and gymnasium.
As of Jan. 24, the only visible problems are a few missing tiles in the hallway. However, it’s possible that the adhesive holding the tiles has been compromised, school officials said.
It is also possible that the gym floor may have sustained damage. There is no visible issue with the floor in the gym, but the manufacturer will be coming to inspect the floor – along with the manufacturers of the other affected flooring – to ensure that no problems will arise in the future.
JVS Principal Pete Gallace said his primary concern is that mold will not become an issue at some point in the future. Gallace also said he wants confirmation that the gym floor won’t buckle or otherwise warp in the future as a result of the flooding.
If any of the flooring needs to be replaced, the costs of the repairs will increase dramatically, officials said. These costs would still likely not be responsibility of the school district or town.
State inspectors will be checking the air quality in the building on Jan. 25 to ensure that mold is not currently an issue and to establish a baseline for monitoring mold in the future.
“Right now, my focus is on the kids’ safety and ensuring there will be no future problems with mold or other problems that may arise from the water damage,” Gallace said.
Officials are still inventorying books, teachers’ materials and some items in the hallways and classrooms, Gallace said. More examination to the ceiling surrounding the burst pipe is also reportedly needed.
Bailey said a redesign of the sprinkler system will be needed.
“We’re working as hard as we can to make sure they get a quality facility for future use,” Bailey said. “Attention to learning continues to be the primary focus.”
