MISD trustees allocated about $285,000 to replace the wood floors at the middle school’s gymnasium at their board meeting. Evans Middle School had five frozen sprinkler pipe breaks in the school, according to MISD meeting documents. The two major breaks occurred in each of the two separate front-entry vestibules. The main entry vestibule break caused water damage in the administration portion of the building. The secondary vestibule sprinkler line break flooded both the auxiliary gym and the main competition gym at the school and damaged the maple wood floors, according to meeting documents.
The amount trustees approved to replace the floors include a $20,000 contingency. Any unused funds will be refunded back to the school district, documents stated. The floor replacements will begin this summer and be completed before school resumes in the fall.
The item was on the consent agenda and was approved without discussion.
While pipes froze and water damage occurred at most of the district’s campuses, most of the water spilled on tile floors or surfaces that handled water better than wood, MISD Deputy Superintendent of Business, Operations, Accountability and Technology Jason Bird said.
The damage across the district could have been worse, he said, and the MISD Maintenance Department received special recognition at the meeting by trustees for efforts to help staff and students return to school in undamaged campuses. One member of the department worked 112 hours over a period of five days, officials said.
“Every facet of the organization was responsible for getting us back in the classroom that Monday and I’m extremely proud and honored to work with them,” Superintendent Rick McDaniel said.
