Prairie Creek Community School to Reopen on Monday

Editor's note: The following was submitted by Prairie Creek Community School.

On Wednesday evening, a fault in a sprinkler line caused significant flooding at Prairie Creek.  There was extensive damage to three classrooms and a central hallway.   School was closed for two days in order to assess damage, finish cleaning and begin repairs. 

"We were able to have the experts in to review and address the damage very quickly.  The main areas of concern were two classrooms, the music room and a portion of the hallway." said director Simon Tyler.  "The response of the fire department and related services was impressively quick.   We were able to protect thousands of dollars worth of music instruments and remove laptops and other electronics from the damaged areas.   Our cleaning company, Service Master, responded immediately and have been working all hours to get the school back in shape.   By the next day, we had a crew of builders on site from the same company that originally constructed the part of the school that was flooded.  They have been working to remove damaged sheetrock and begin repairs.   All the related services have been fantastic in their response."

Tyler's highest praise was reserved for the Prairie Creek staff.  

"They have been incredible.  Obviously, it's very shocking to see your school go through an event like this.   Yet they immediately went into problem-solving mode - establishing temporary classrooms in the gym and stage, re-ordering books, rugs and materials to replace those ruined by the water, and working together to set up adjusted schedules to ensure the children will have relatively normal routines when they return."   

Tyler also had high praise for his parent community who inundated the school with message of support and offers of help.

"Honestly, I think that if we had needed them, we would have had an army of 100 volunteers out here in no time."

Tyler said that the decision to re-open the school was made only after final health and safety checks were conducted late on Friday and the building inspector toured the building to review the cleaned up areas and assess plans for repairs.  "Of course, after an event like this the primary concern is to ensure that the children will be returning to a safe environment."

It is anticipated that it could be several weeks before the repairs are fully completed and the school is back to its original state.  In the meantime, everyone is excited to welcome the children back into the building on Monday.