NE Dubois school board discusses flood damage (video)

Before moving into a discussion, or review, of what is going on at Northeast Dubois Intermediate School Tuesday evening, the board was shown a timelapse video of the flooding that damaged the school on August 30.

The water built up in the back of the school quickly as it flowed down the hill from the nearby softball field. The pressure of the water burst through the kitchen doors early in the process and quickly filled the basement. The timelapse shows the moment the water exploded through the basement doors and damaged a wall as it quickly filled a nearby room.

The rain fell in unprecedented amounts that afternoon. By the time the rain had ended some local gauges showed that about 10 inches of water had fallen.

Servpro was hired to clean up the portion of the building that was damaged in the flood. According to principal Ryan Case, the company has been removing about four dumpsters a day full of materials from the damage. “We are finally to the point where we’re hoping by the end of this week they will be done with their progress as far as cleaning,” he said.

The school is hoping to get the kitchen repaired and functional in the coming weeks. “We’re jumping through all the hoops needed to get students back in that section,” Case said adding they are looking forward to kids not having to eat at their desks.

As cleaning progresses, the corporation is taking steps to ensure things are safe for students. With the amount of water and debris washed into the building, air quality is a concern. According to Case, while some areas have shown air quality issues, the cafeteria and kitchen have tested well for air quality. He explained that some areas where clothing and other supplies were stored will need further remediation to increase the air quality as the school building is repaired.

Work is underway to provide students with warm meals in the near future with a temporary setup while the work continues in the cafeteria and kitchen area.

According to Case, an early estimate for repairs to the kitchen was $499,000. “A large number,” he told the board. “I think we need to figure out what we are going to do, or, as Mr. Hochgesang said, whether we are going to put it back the way it was or make some changes.”

The school hopes to reopen the multipurpose room to allow for physical education activities. Case said the insurance company has approved the purchase of some equipment like temporary basketball goals. Meanwhile, PE has been moved outside for the most part as long as the weather cooperates.

The school’s art and music classes had to be moved due to the flood. Case joked that the music class was doing well and there was an added element of percussion and noise to lead them through the hallways in the upper portion of the school during the day.

“It scared me the other day when I couldn’t figure out what the sound was,” he said. “It was the drums from the music room.”

The board approved hiring Schmidt and Associates as an architectural firm to begin the process of assessing and designing repairs for the intermediate school. Superintendent Bill Hochgesang said the firm would give them options for the school moving forward and would be covered by some of the insurance money.

He mentioned that moving the classrooms from fifth through eighth grades to third through sixth grades two years ago changed the dynamic of the building. “We can look at some of those needs,” Hochgesang said. “That is what an architectural firm will do.”

The board will likely get an update from the firm at the next regular meeting in October.