Monday, March 2, 2015

WEST BROAD SCHOOL, CONNECTICUT BURST PIPE AND WATER DAMAGE REPAIRS COULD TOP $95K




MARCH 1, 2015

STONINGTON, CT

Repairing damage caused from a burst sprinkler pipe at West Broad Street School last week will cost between $95,000 and $99,000, Superintendent Van Riley reported Wednesday.

Riley also said that two of the three rooms impacted by the break — a second-floor math intervention room and the third-floor library — will remain closed until after spring break.

A frozen attic sprinkler pipe burst in the early afternoon of Monday, Feb. 16, damaging ceiling tiles, carpeting, computers and books in the two still-closed rooms, as well as Meghan Breen’s third-grade classroom, which has since reopened.

The school was unoccupied at the time of the break as part of the two-day Presidents’ Day break, but reopened as scheduled on Wednesday. The sprinkler system had been repaired by that time.

Riley told The Sun last week that the l repairs would cost a minimum of $10,000, the deductible for the school’s health insurance.

Since then, school administrators have worked to develop a more exact estimate based on a thorough assessment of the damage and contact with the school system’s insurance company regarding its warranty and deductible. The assessment revealed that the math intervention and library rooms will need what Riley described as “total remediation” before they can reopen, likely after the district’s scheduled spring vacation from April 13-17.

Since the pipe burst, activities in both rooms have been relocated to vacant classrooms and to the computer lab, according to Principal Alicia Dawe.

“Is it ideal? No. Are we making it work? Yes,” she explained.

Riley reiterated previous statements that he will be sending notice to the Board of Finance requesting reimbursement the cost of these repairs. He already notified the board about the minimum $10,000 cost based on the insurance deductible.