Harwood Union’s flood damaged gymnasium floor will be removed and replaced with details on timing and athletic events still being determined.
On September 22, a broken sprinkler flooded part of the gym at Harwood Union Middle/High School causing damage to the floor. Ray Daigle, director of facilities for the Harwood Unified Union School District, said that an excess of 1,000 gallons of water was dumped onto the gymnasium floor. Daigle explained that the sprinkler system is considered a ‘wet’ system which is fully charged at all times and fed from a fire pond up behind the school. G.W. Savage immediately began efforts to dry the floor by pumping heat under the floor and tenting the area where the most damage occurred. They advised the school to wait a week to see how the moisture levels dropped before taking the next steps.
On October 7, Harwood Unified Union School District (HUUSD) superintendent Dr. Mike Leichliter reported in an email that facilities director Ray Daigle had heard back from the Vermont School Board Insurance Trust (VSBIT) that they will cover the full cost for a replacement gym floor.
Leichliter said “G.W. Savage has removed all of their equipment at the direction of VSBIT. It was decided that their efforts were not effective on this type of floor with the water damage we experienced. Ray is working with the installer on timing so we do not have information on the replacement timeline at this moment.
“Once we have more details on when materials can be delivered and the new installation can take place we will be able to make decisions regarding what the district will agree to with the dates. Ray, Harwood co-principals, athletic director, finance director and the superintendent will meet early next week to make a decision on the immediate use of the gym floor.”
