FAIRLAND – Triton Central Elementary School’s roof is in bad shape.
On June 25, the roof was pelted with golf-ball size hail that was associated with a storm that produced an EF2 tornado that originated near Bargersville.
The result was more than 1,000 punctures to the elementary school’s roof membrane that resulted in water damage to the gymnasium floor and leaks within the school.
The school system has filed a weather-related damage insurance claim for $1.7 million to replace the roof and another $250,000 to repair the gymnasium playing surface.
The Northwestern Consolidated Schools board received an update Monday night at its monthly school board meeting and learned the goal is to get the roof replacement project started as soon as the insurance claim is approved, which is expected to be this week.
“Hopefully (Tuesday) we will have an approved contractor and bid and we can get them deployed to campus and get it going,” said Northwestern Consolidated Schools Superintendent Chris Hoke. “(The gymnasium floor) has water damage. There are pieces of it curling up. As it stands right now, we can probably sand it down and refinish it but if it continues to get water on it, (Liberty Mutual) would add it to the loss.”
Hoke stated the plan is to get the gymnasium roof replaced first so then the gymnasium floor would not be considered a total loss.
“That’s why we have insurance. It should cover it,” said Hoke.
The roof replacement project is expected to take 4-5 months for completion.
In other board business Monday, a public hearing was held on a proposed bond project that would provide the school board with capital to begin upgrades and renovations to the three buildings on its Fairland campus.
No one spoke publicly for or against the bond project which will bring approximately $6 million to the school system to deal with a long list of projects including a new HVAC system and exterior windows for Triton Central High School, a new gymnasium floor at the high school and the relocation of a transformer inside Triton Central Elementary School to the exterior of the building.
Here is the list of the proposed scope of work at the three buildings.
Triton Central High School
- HVAC system upgrade
- Exterior window replacement
- Life Skills room relocation
- Auditorium renovation/repair
- Main gym floor replacement/upgrade
- Renovate/redesign media center
- Upgrade/refresh student entranceway
- Upgrade/renovate restrooms
- Upgrade/refresh Life Skills entranceway
- Upgrade/renovate locker rooms
- Upgrade/refresh Civil Construction/Robotics entranceway
- Upgrade/replace Café floor
- Revise hallway lockers to seating
- New PA system
- Baseball/softball dugouts
Triton Central Middle School
- Upgrade to addressable fire panel
- Update interior lock cores to standard system
- Replace gymnasium bleachers
- Sand gym floor and add graphics
- Replace/upgrade multi-purpose room floor
- Add wall graphics to gymnasium
- Add wall graphics to multi-purpose room
Triton Central Elementary School
- Relocate transformer to exterior of building
- Upgrade to addressable fire alarm panel
- Install storefront/window in main office
- Replace playground mulch with hard surface or other
- Add graphics to main entrance foyer
The board will have the opportunity to approve the issuance of the bonds at a Sept. 11 meeting.
“The idea is the bonds get sold sometime after Sept. 11,” said Hoke. “Hopefully money in the bank in October.”
The goal is to start on the transformer relocation immediately due to safety concerns as well as the HVAC system upgrade at the high school.
“I’ve got five classrooms right now with temporary units in them,” said Hoke. “It’s inoperable and unrepairable.”
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