Water damage requires maintenance for longer than expected

Westside is currently repairing the water damage due to the vast amount of rain received over the past week.

The first Tuesday of a new school year turned into a flood day, not exactly typical for the school district. Students who had already arrived at normal time were told by bouncers to take the day off.

Dr. Wagner, assistant principal for the school, who is also in charge of maintenance, voiced his concerns about the water damage.

“We believe the roof got overwhelmed and could not handle the near six inches of rain,” Wagner said. “It came down through the walls because the drains couldn’t control such a volume of water.”

Areas that were hit hard include the Guidance IMC, the Engineering and Technology IMC, and the little theater. Many teachers were surprised to see so many puddles and wet spots throughout the school. The Guidance IMC was moved temporarily to the Warrior Room.

The Guidance IMC’s desks were moved from the room and the carpet was soaked, but the rainwater was clean without any dirt or organic material.

“We have a roof engineer from Kansas City who will give us his recommendations,” Wagner said. “He will help us identify the breached areas.”

The custodians and the district crew have worked the past few days to dehumidify and dry the wetter areas with over a 120 fans.

“I’ve been to the roof eight to ten times with the crew,” Wagner said. “Hopefully by [Saturday Aug. 22] the building will be completely dried and back to normal.”