GALLIPOLIS — A burst pipe is to blame for destroying the floor of the Gallia Academy High School (GAHS) gymnasium, according to a press release provided by school officials Friday, and now the city school district is faced with a full replacement project.
According to the release, on Sunday, September 16, 2012, it was discovered that a pipe had burst within a storage room of the GAHS gymnasium. The pipe that burst was connected to a water pump that supplies water to the sprinkler system for the GAHS baseball field.
“The water from the break in the pipe has destroyed the entire gym floor, and it will now need to be replaced,” said Gallipolis City Schools Communications Director Jim Craft.
The replacement of the gym floor is a process that first involves the school district’s insurance company and its investigation of the cause of the flooding and subsequent destruction to the gym floor. According to Craft, this has resulted in the replacement time line for the gym floor to be on temporary hold until the insurance company completes its investigation during the first week of October.
The completion date for the floor replacement hinges upon the insurance company’s findings and direction.
According to Craft, the district is hopeful that it can move forward by October 5, and the replacement of the gym floor will be completed in the first week of December 2012.
“The hardest thing about all of this will be the practices, making sure that the kids get to all the right locations. Basically, we’ll have to go with the old plan that we used before the new school was built (in 2009),” GAHS athletic director Brent Simms said. “We have our estimates into the companies that will replace the floor, the insurance companies have come in and done their investigation and now we are just waiting on the go-ahead to get started.
In the interim, the junior varsity and varsity volleyball teams will practice and play home matches at Gallia Academy Middle School (GAMS); the 7th and 8th grade volleyball teams will practice and play their home matches at Washington Elementary; the junior varsity, varsity and freshman basketball teams will practice and play home games, if necessary, at GAMS; the 7th and 8th grade basketball teams will practice and play home games, if necessary, at Washington Elementary, Green Elementary and possibly at GAMS. If necessary, the GAHS wrestling team will hold home matches at the University of Rio Grande or GAMS for dual meets but will continue to practice at GAHS. The junior high wrestling team will continue to practice and hold home matches at GAMS.
“The hope is that we can get started in the next three weeks and salvage some of our winter sports season at the new gym,” added Simms. “If we have to wait any longer than that, our varsity teams will probably be at the middle school all season long. Hopefully, it won’t get to that point.”
The Gallipolis City Schools will continue to keep the public updated as information becomes available. All questions and/or concerns should be addressed to Jim Craft, Director of Communications at 740-446-3211.
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