Cassville Schools deal with flood damage in Intermediate building
Cassville Schools began some demolition in the fifth grade classrooms to get a better look at the damage to the concrete slabs beneath the tile.
January 20, 2016
Charlea Mills
After flooding ravaged the county last month, the damages continue to impact Cassville Schools. Six classrooms, all fifth grade, had to be relocated to the Middle School for the remainder of the school year, and now the administration is working to come up with a plan of action for the damage.
When heavy rains hit, around two and a half inches of water covered the floors in the fifth grade wing, according to Cassville Superintendent Richard Asbill. The damage estimate is not an easy number to pin down. Asbill said, “We know that initially, we had content damage of $25,000 to $30,000, and that’s just books, learning materials and furniture.” The rest of the damage is much more severe and will be dealt with over a period of time.
When the lower level of the building flooded, the adhesive on the floor tiles loosened, causing the floors to need to be replaced; however, it was much worse than that. Water compromised the joints in the slabs of concrete below the tile, and large cracks appeared, as well as slabs lifting. Asbill said, “We know all the floor tile needs to come out, which is 15,000 square feet. We’ve got an architect and an engineer helping.”
Asbill also attended a FEMA meeting last Friday to discuss the possibility of funding since there was a disaster declaration made from the storm.
According to Asbill, the school will find out in two to three weeks if they qualify for FEMA funding to help mitigate the damage. Until then, they are working with different people to form a plan of action to see what needs to be repaired.
It was decided that the fifth grade classrooms would remain in the Middle School until the end of the semester. The nurse’s office and three resource classrooms flooded, but have since been cleaned and are able to be utilized.
Charlea Mills
After flooding ravaged the county last month, the damages continue to impact Cassville Schools. Six classrooms, all fifth grade, had to be relocated to the Middle School for the remainder of the school year, and now the administration is working to come up with a plan of action for the damage.
When heavy rains hit, around two and a half inches of water covered the floors in the fifth grade wing, according to Cassville Superintendent Richard Asbill. The damage estimate is not an easy number to pin down. Asbill said, “We know that initially, we had content damage of $25,000 to $30,000, and that’s just books, learning materials and furniture.” The rest of the damage is much more severe and will be dealt with over a period of time.
When the lower level of the building flooded, the adhesive on the floor tiles loosened, causing the floors to need to be replaced; however, it was much worse than that. Water compromised the joints in the slabs of concrete below the tile, and large cracks appeared, as well as slabs lifting. Asbill said, “We know all the floor tile needs to come out, which is 15,000 square feet. We’ve got an architect and an engineer helping.”
Asbill also attended a FEMA meeting last Friday to discuss the possibility of funding since there was a disaster declaration made from the storm.
According to Asbill, the school will find out in two to three weeks if they qualify for FEMA funding to help mitigate the damage. Until then, they are working with different people to form a plan of action to see what needs to be repaired.
It was decided that the fifth grade classrooms would remain in the Middle School until the end of the semester. The nurse’s office and three resource classrooms flooded, but have since been cleaned and are able to be utilized.
