Water leak floods and damages high school gym

Flooding that occurred in the main gymnasium at South Whidbey High School last weekend left the facility temporarily unusable, forcing the school board to declare a state of emergency to expedite repairs.

On Monday morning, Superintendent Scott Peacock received a call from a janitor informing him that the gym was flooded. When he arrived, Peacock saw that 90% of the gym floor appeared to be under a quarter-inch of water, he said during a board workshop Wednesday.

The flooding was caused by an old pipe surrounding a 2,000-litre water heater and is unrelated to the water leak that occurred several weeks ago when holes were being drilled to test soil samples, Peacock said. He could not confirm how much water was lost in that incident.

Last weekend, Peacock suspects the line gave way due to high water pressure. Just two days before the leak, workers were repairing the pump house, the well that supplies the high school and the district's other buildings on Maxwelton Road. The high-pressure fire suppression system forced water into the high school's service pipes, weakening the already old and damaged water main, which likely burst Saturday night.

That outage came a week after a company inspected all of the district's water heaters and surrounding pipes to identify those that needed to be replaced or repaired. That incident, Peacock said, felt like “a nasty kick in the shins.”

The water heater is located in a machine room in the gym building. Peacock estimates that the water may have been leaking for about 36 hours, affecting the gym floor and some rooms connected to the girls' locker rooms. The floor, Peacock said, is beyond repair because the floorboards are buckling and bulging under the impact of the water.

Superintendent Jo Moccia said in an email that the district is not sure of the full extent of the financial impact of this incident, but that insurance should cover all repair costs.

On Wednesday, the board voted unanimously to declare a state of emergency and forego a competitive bidding process to speed up repairs. Finance Director Paul Field said this was a necessary decision because there may not be enough time for a normal competitive bidding process.

Peacock added that the district is competing for a limited amount of resources. Two other schools in Western Washington were affected by flooding last week. To ensure they get the best deal, district officials must act quickly, he said.

The district would have to redo the flooring, remove and demolish the water heater, rip out the drywall behind the water heater and redo the plumbing, including replacing the oldest water heaters and connected plumbing, Peacock said.

The hope, Moccia wrote in the email, is to reopen the hall by the time the basketball season begins in November.

The district is currently reviewing various bids for the renovation work and will not proceed until it has confirmation that insurance will cover the costs, Field said.

In an interview, Peacock said the district is currently planning to temporarily move volleyball practice and games to the community center. Moccia said volleyball equipment was also damaged by the flood.

The district is discussing the possibility of transporting the children to the community center after school, a cost that would be covered by insurance, along with other additional costs, Field said.

Physical education classes will be held in the secondary gymnasium, outdoors and other physical activity facilities, and the plan will be discussed further in the coming weeks, Peacock said.

Board members expressed concern about the incident, but also expressed relief that it was discovered and addressed before the damage could become even greater.

Although the challenge came as a complete surprise and unwelcome, it does provide scope for some creative ideas.

Currently, Moccia said Wednesday, there is a “huge” pile of floorboards behind the school, many of which are warped and have nails, paint and wax on them.

Board member Marnie Jackson said gym floors can have sentimental value and some people take old gym floor pieces. She asked if the craft class could turn the least damaged floorboards into picture frames that could be used later as heirlooms.

Peacock said he had already contacted the craft teacher about this idea since the planks could be recycled.

Moccia also mentioned the possibility of repainting the new floor, which would be a source of pride in the years to come.

In the midst of a crisis, less than a month before the start of the school year, Peacock witnessed the solidarity of a community concerned about its students. Shortly after the discovery, off-duty maintenance, janitorial and administrative staff descended on the gymnasium and grabbed mops and squeegees, Peacock said. Contractors, plumbers and flood restoration workers also arrived promptly.

“We've had so many people give so much to come and help us,” he said. “It really shows what it's like to be part of a close-knit and committed community.”