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The Lincoln County Middle School suffered two large leaks in its library within about three weeks. (Photo courtesy of Superintendent Karen Hatter / August 13, 2012) |
STANFORD — When it rains, it pours. At Lincoln County Middle School, it's been pouring into the building.
School officials thought they were done dealing with unwanted water problems after an unfinished roof edge allowed what Principal Debbie Sims described as a 'waterfall' to flood into the library in mid-July.
The Middle School is one of many in the district receiving roof upgrades this summer.
Repairs were made to the unfinished roof edge, but Sims said she walked into the library Aug. 4 during another heavy rain and discovered water "streaming down again."
Water was leaking into the library in the same spot where the prior leak had soaked the carpet and destroyed the drywall. Sims said new carpet that had been brought in wound up needing to be replaced again.
Other complications with the carpet had already slowed repairs to the library.
Sims said she had initially hoped to have the library reopened for kids to check out books after the first week of school, but it will now probably be at least two weeks.
"We're really pushing literacy this year, so we want the kids in the library soon," she said. "I know this has been a terrible mess and I hate it the most for the inconvenience to our students, because we have a lot of students who love to read and check out books."
Sims said while she was occupied in the library, there were apparently other leaks letting water into the chorus room and the gymnasium. Water in the chorus room ruined two Yamaha keyboards, she said.
Sims said the company handling the roof upgrade, Burnett Sons Roofing, has agreed to pay to replace the keyboards. The company has already been paying to fix the library.
A silver lining on the rainclouds is that other areas of the school that have been prone to leaks are now staying dry, Sims said.
"This building has always leaked since it was construct. We've had two or three common areas that have always leaked," she said. "Those are not leaking right now."
Most structural repairs in the damaged areas are now completed and so far, Sims said there have been no more leaks.
"Now it's a matter of getting the books back on the shelves where they belong," she said.
