Frozen pipes damage Warren Community School

WARREN – Pipes in an air ventilation system at the newly constructed $6.2 million Warren Community School froze and burst over the weekend, sending thousand of gallons of water through ceilings, down walls and onto classroom materials and hallway floors.

On Sunday, school officials aired public announcements that classes would be canceled through Wednesday.

Thanksgiving vacation begins Thursday and classes are to resume Monday.

Richard Lash, SAD 40 director of operations, said that Warren Fire Department personnel, teachers and custodians worked Sunday to help clean up the mess from the water.

Superior Maintenance Service of Camden has also been hired to clean. In some places, the water was up over his shoes, Lash said Monday.

It is expected that the new ceiling tiles will not be in place when classes resume, he said, but otherwise school will operate as usual.

“My biggest concern is air quality issues in the future,” Lash said, adding that he wants to ensure that the cleanup is thorough.

Damage to the school from the broken water pipes was extensive, Lash said, but he had no estimate of damages at that point.

Water from the pipes moved along duct work and pipes and created the most damage in hallways, although almost all areas of the school were affected.

Lash explained that damage was to air handler ventilation units in the upstairs attic that draw fresh air into the school from outdoors.

Apparently, a substance similar to antifreeze was not added to the system, so it froze when the outdoor temperature dropped Sunday.

Russell Nowack Construction of Newcastle was the contractor for the school, which houses kindergarten through sixth grade.

According to a sttement issued by the district, “fortunately the new wood floor had not been installed in the gymnasium and was not damaged.”

Superintendent William Doughty plans to contact the state commissioner of education about the damage and request a waiver of the three days of missed school.