As we finished the week, we experienced an unexpected situation in the big gym. During a PE class, a ball struck a sprinkler head, which caused it to discharge a significant amount of water onto roughly one quarter of the gymnasium floor. This also triggered the building’s fire alarm system, which required us to evacuate at that time. Thank you to everyone for being flexible and patient as we worked through that unexpected interruption to the day.
The larger concern following the incident has been the condition of the gym floor. With an estimated 500–1,000 gallons of water coming down onto the wood surface, there was a real possibility of significant damage. When wood flooring absorbs that amount of water, it can expand and shift, which sometimes results in the need to replace large portions, or even the entire floor. We contacted our insurance provider immediately and began working with our flooring contractor to assess the situation and determine the best path forward.
Our flooring contractor has been on-site and their initial assessment is that the water damage appears to have been reasonably contained to the affected area. Based on what they are seeing, the current plan is to remove and replace the damaged section of flooring rather than the entire surface. After that portion is repaired, the full gym floor will need to be sanded, sealed, and refinished so it returns to a consistent playing surface. The contractors are working through the scheduling details now and anticipate beginning the repair work on Monday, March 16, with the overall project expected to be completed in early May. In the meantime, working around the gym space will likely be our biggest logistical challenge, but we are confident we will find workable solutions until the floor is fully back in service.