A
section of the School's ceiling, approximately 250 square ft., collapsed around 5:00 pm. on
Saturday, July 20. The collapse occurred in the third floor hallway outside the science classrooms. No persons were in the building and no one was injured. Following the incident our architects, construction managers, and a structural engineer inspected the entire building to determine the vulnerability of other areas.
They concluded that other portions of the third floor ceiling were potentially vulnerable based on the age of the building and visual evidence of separation among several ceiling elements - lathe, plaster, and furring. Parke East developed a remediation action plan to reattach ceiling elements in those parts of the building needing reinforcement. In some parts of the building the entire ceiling will be replaced, but in many other areas there is no evidence of a problem. However, the remediation and repair plan is comprehensive and designed to minimize risk.
At a special meeting of August 5, the Board of Education authorized emergency repair work, following the recommendations of our architects and construction managers. The not-to-exceed budget figure was about $470,000 and is expected to be completed prior to the opening of school. Based on the architects' and construction managers' recommendations, this work will carry out a satisfactory short-term repair; in the longer term ceiling replacement is the preferred solution. That program would require a more comprehensive plan and a referendum.
