Warren school damage appraisal continues

WARREN – Warren Community School pupils returned to class Monday after having a week off because of damage caused by pipes in the school’s air ventilation system freezing and bursting Nov. 19.

SAD 40 officials still were trying to assess the damage, Richard Lash, director of operations, said Monday.

School was canceled Nov. 20-24, which meant pupils and teachers missed three unauthorized days of school. Classes would not have been held anyway on Thursday and Friday because of the Thanksgiving holiday.

According to Lash, the district still must put in writing a request to the state Commissioner of Education to waive the three missed days.

Last week, Lash reported that a liquid called “glycol,” which is similar to an antifreeze, was not found in the air ventilation system at the newly constructed $6.2 million school.

The lack of the substance caused pipes to freeze and burst when outdoor temperatures dropped that weekend. As a result, thousands of gallons of water gushed through ceilings, down walls and onto school materials and hallway floors.

On Monday, Lash said, the school was somewhat back in order but ceiling tiles were not yet replaced.

While pupils and teachers are not in the building, the heat is being turned up to dry things out, Lash said. He noted that the insurance company has been informed that the district’s higher heating fuel bill will be claimed.

SAD 40 officials are being “very cautious with air-quality issues,” Lash said, explaining that the heating system is being programmed to turn the heat up when school is closed.

The temperature will cool down about three hours before pupils and teachers begin school, he said, and the heat will be cranked up again when they leave.

Lash said the indoor temperature will be a bit uncomfortable for custodians for a while, but that officials want to ensure that the walls, insulation and ceiling tiles that got wet may thoroughly dry.

The district has hired an air-quality specialist, who is expected to complete a report by the end of the week, Lash said. The insurance company will do the same, he said, adding that the district wanted a second opinion to ensure there will be no air-quality problems in the future.

The district’s officials do not yet know what the total cost will be to repair the damage, Lash said.

Russell Nowack Construction of Newcastle was the contractor for the new kindergarten through sixth-grade school. Nowack subcontracted Maine Energy Inc. of Hermon to install the air ventilation system, Lash said, indicating that it would have been responsible for adding the glycol to the system.