WATERTOWN – The Watertown City School District has unanimously approved spending up to $4,200,000 to rehabilitate schools after flooding earlier this month left some areas of the district under feet of water.
The district will fund the repairs from the general fund, insurance, state aid and other available sources. First, money will be obtained from the insurance company, then FEMA will be called in, and finally state aid will be sought. School Superintendent Larry C. Schmiegel said the last resort would be state aid because he did not want to take aid away from the capital reserve project.
Schmiegel said during a Board of Education meeting Tuesday that there were sewage disposal issues at Case Middle School that were “quickly addressed.”
Schmiegel said all but one of the rooms will be asbestos-free. The area containing asbestos will be tiled, while other areas of the school will have concrete floors with a clear coat.
“Our goal is to ensure that students and staff can return on September 5,” he said.
Schmiegel said the cost could be higher than $4.2 million, calling that amount the best-case scenario.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) toured the facilities along with the county’s insurance company. FEMA will help the county put together an application for FEMA funding, Schmiegel said.
FEMA reimburses communities up to 75 percent of total damage costs.
As for insurance, Schmiegel said that while flood protection is not required in New York State, the Watertown City School District has purchased $1 million in flood insurance.
The current bill for repairs as of last Thursday was $1.3 million, exceeding the $1 million policy limit.
The bill for ServPro is $1.3 million.
Schmiegel said Wednesday that the large classroom used as a study hall needs a complete renovation, and the state Homeland Security and Emergency Services recommended that the district replace the gym floor. Schmiegel said he was told they had never seen a gym floor with so much standing water that didn’t need to be replaced.
The gym floor at Watertown High School needs to be replaced after heavy rains and flooding occurred earlier this month. Photo courtesy of Superintendent Larry C. Schmiegel
Although the floor may need to be replaced, Schmiegel said the district will be able to hold classes in the gym and repairs may take an extended period of time.
The school can use other rooms to replace the damaged classroom, which is mainly used as a study room.
Schmiegel fears that flooding could occur again if only the damage is repaired and the cause is not addressed.
One way he hopes to solve the problem is to reroute water if the city’s stormwater drainage system fails again.
The board approved a Revenue Anticipation Note (RAN), which allows the district to borrow money at a lower interest rate.
Schmiegel said they could continue to earn 5% interest on the district’s reserves and borrow money at 4%. The term of the loan depends on how much money the district asks for.
A public vote is not necessary because the school board has classified the case as an emergency.
“It makes sense to propose to the board tonight the possibility of borrowing money at a lower interest rate than we are earning on our current reserves,” he said.
Overall, the cost after mitigation measures could exceed $4.2 million. If the total cost is higher, Schmiegel will have to reapply to the Board of Education for approval.
