Floor must be replaced
By Holly Neumann
Iola-Scandinavia High School’s volleyball teams will play their upcoming home matches in a different location.
A late June storm led to flooding and damage at the school. The gym floor sustained ripple effect water damage all the way up to the free-throw lines on the side of the gym closest to the cafeteria.
The varsity and junior varsity volleyball teams will play its home matches in the Iola-Scandinavia Community Fitness & Aquatic Center.
According to I-S District Administrator Ray Przekurat, prior to receiving nearly 3 inches of heavy rain, high winds blew leaves and debris onto the school’s new roof clogging drains. This caused water to pool and go through the ventilation system and flood the gym and cafeteria.
Repairs are being made to the gym floor so that basketball games can be played in the gym. This will only be a temporary fix, however, and the entire floor will be replaced after the basketball season.
The Iola-Scandinavia School Board discussed the matter at its July 9 meeting.
Board member Paul Huettner voiced concerns about the company that installed the new roof last summer.
“We have never had this problem,” he said. “And I know we have gotten 3-plus inches of rain before.”
“We are now looking into modifying our roof,” Przekurat said. “We would actually break a section of the roof off and put a drain in there so that there is a place for water to go just in case this does happen again.”
The estimated cost of replacing the floor is approximately $165,000 to $170,000.
Initial claims through insurance were denied, but after further discussion, the district will now receive $145,000 for the repairs.
The balance will come from the district.
The new floor will take a couple of months to install and is expected to outlast the life of the building.