Company removes smoke smell from library books
By Angie Landsverk
A restoration company continues to clean up damage from a March fire at Weyauwega-Fremont Middle School.
“We’re looking to have the majority of work completed in the month of May. There may be some things that carry over to June,” said District Administrator Scott Bleck.
The negligent use of a lighter caused the fire in a boys’ bathroom on March 25.
Machines continue to be scattered throughout the middle school, removing carbon and soot from the environment.
The cafeteria was among the most recent areas in which Belfor Property Restoration worked.
The district contracts with the company for restoration services.
Bleck said Belfor removed the ceiling tile and ceiling tile grid from the cafeteria and cleaned above the roof deck area before replacing the tiles and grid.
The areas being addressed this week were the social studies classroom, computer lab, library and the IMC assistant’s work room, he said.
Every book in the library was already boxed and taken to Milwaukee, where Belfor ran the books through a machine to rid them of the smell of smoke.
The total cost of the damage from the fire is not yet known.
Belfor and the district’s insurance company are still discussing the process about what needs to be cleaned and what needs to be replaced, Bleck said.
He said Belfor has been efficient, meeting its deadlines.
Bleck appreciates the flexibility of the staff and students while work continues in the school.
He provided the update on May 6, during the school board’s Committee of the Whole meeting.
Refurbishing lockers
Among the other items discussed that evening were the high school lockers and the district’s strategic planning process.
When the school board meets on May 20, a bid to refurbish the high school lockers is on its agenda.
Bleck said the approximately 300 lockers date back to 1969.
The lockers were painted once or twice in the past, he said.
The refurbishment plan includes new lock mechanisms, new combinations, reinforcement of the door panels and painting the lockers.
If approved, the work is scheduled for June or July, he said.
The next strategic planning session is at 6 p.m. Thursday, May 16, in the middle school library.
During the last session, six themes emerged from the district’s survey, Bleck said.
They were teacher retention, communication, technology, meeting emotional needs of students, fiscal responsibility and student achievement.
“Now, the strategic planning team will investigate each individually and come up with strategies for each subject,” Bleck said.