School board plans disciplinary hearing

By Angie Landsverk

The Weyauwega-Fremont School District is working with its insurance adjuster to determine what needs to be cleaned or replaced following a March 25 fire at the middle school.

“Belfor (Property) Restoration was in over the weekend and cleaned the bathroom where the fire was started and got the fire damage out of that area,” District Administrator Scott Bleck said on Tuesday, April 2.

The school district contracts with the company for restoration services.

“Now, we’re waiting for a restoration plan from Belfor to identify the scope of work, and the timing of the work,” Bleck said.

He said they will decide whether the work takes placing after hours during the school year or during the summer.

Weyauwega Fire Chief Tom Cullen said investigators determined it was the negligent use of a lighter that caused the fire in the boys’ bathroom.

The district is addressing that matter.

The school board was scheduled to meet in closed session at 6 p.m. Wednesday, April 3, for a student discipline proceeding.

Weyauwega’s police department reviewed the district’s video surveillance and identified the individual, Bleck said.

Machines like this were scattered throughout Weyauwega-Fremont Middle School as part of the cleanup effort. Angie Landsverk Photo

Although the fire damage was contained to the restroom where the blaze began, there was extensive smoke damage throughout the middle school building.

“Within 1 1/2 hours, there was a team of 13 people assessing, cleaning,” Bleck said of Belfor’s response on the night of the fire. “They were here until the wee hours of the morning.”

The middle school was then ready for classes the next day.

The district’s insurance agency was there on March 27 to assess the property.

Estimates on the damages were still being investigated last week but could exceed $75,000, Cullen said.

Bleck agreed, saying that was a preliminary estimate.

“We anticipate it will be higher than that,” he told the school board when it met on March 28.

Machines were scattered throughout the middle school last week, removing carbon and soot from the environment while the space awaited a deep cleaning, Bleck said.

On March 30, Belfor returned to the middle school to do more work.

That included cleaning the electronics and examining the residue above the ceiling tiles, he said.

Weyauwega firefighters responded to the fire alarm at the school shortly before 5 p.m. on March 25.

They remained at the scene until after 8:36 p.m. to extinguish the fire and fully ventilate the building.

Assisting at the scene were fire departments from Manawa, Waupaca, Poy Sippi, Saxeville, New London, West Bloomfield, Iola, as well as the Weyauwega Police Department, Waupaca County Sheriff’s Office and Gold Cross Ambulance.

Bleck thanked Weyauwega’s fire and police departments, as well as the sheriff’s office and area fire departments for their response.

“They did an outstanding job,” he said.

When the fire alarm sounded, students and staff inside and outside the campus were evacuated and moved away from the building.

There were no injuries reported with the fire operations or with the evacuation.

“No one was hurt. No one was injured,” Bleck said. “Yes, there was damage. We can rebuild a wall. We can clean tile.”

He thanked the district’s staff and students for being flexible as the police and fire departments continued their investigations.

The district will use the experience as a way to be prepared in the future, Bleck said.

“As with any event, we learn and try to make things go better,” he said.