Cleanup almost finished after Glacier flood

By the end of the week, most of Glacier High School should be restored to its pre-flood state.

Teachers and students have been displaced from classrooms, and offices have been relocated for the last month, as crews have worked to repair damage from a burst pipe that flooded the school’s B pod. Special education students and two main-floor classrooms have moved back into their usual spaces, and six upstairs classrooms will be back in business by the end of the week, Principal Callie Langohr said.

“In the timeline of restoration and cleanup, we’re a little bit ahead of schedule,” she said.

Crews from Stat Restoration and Allied 24/7 Restoration have been working to dry the building and repair damage from the Feb. 26 flood that occurred when a frozen fire suppression line burst. About 3,500 gallons of water gushed out in 15 minutes, flooding classrooms and offices on both floors of the building’s B pod.

School officials still don’t know why the pipe burst in the 4-year-old building; an independent claims adjuster will determine who, if anyone, was at fault and how much damage occurred.

The district hasn’t yet heard back from the adjuster, Superintendent Darlene Schottle said.

“We still don’t have an estimate,” she said. “I would think that the adjuster is probably talking to our insurance company, Western States.”

Ceiling tiles, cabinets, walls, carpets, computers, televisions, interactive whiteboards and other materials were damaged in the flood. The extent of the damage depended on where the classroom was located, Langohr said.

“On the second floor, in those classrooms, the damage was basically the carpet and anything on the floor,” she said. “The carpets have been cleaned and things have been wiped down, and walls on the second floor that were impacted have been restored.”

More damage happened on the main floor, Langohr said. In places where water had seeped down the walls, Sheetrock and insulation had to be replaced. That happened in the administrative offices.

“Especially the principal’s office had a lot of water damage,” Langohr said. “They had to tear out a wall and put that back in. It’s taken longer” to repair.

Adminstrators should be able to move into their offices next week during spring break, she said.

In the meantime, Langohr is working out of the school resource officer’s office.

“I feel like I’m camping over here,” she said.

The relocation was perhaps most challenging for some students in the school’s special education program.

“Those students really need structure, really need routine,” special education teacher Lissy Boar said soon after her students had moved into a new, dry classroom.

“Their routine was interrupted. There’s going to be an adjustment period, and by the time they get adjusted to this new classroom, we’re going to be back in our pod.”

The largest adjustment was going from two classrooms to one, Boar said. One room in the special education pod is dedicated to job skills. The other is for the school’s individualized education program.

Students moved back into those two classrooms last Friday, Boar said.

“It’s been fabulous,” she said. “Kids are back to their normal schedules and settled down.”

Everyone has been understanding as the restoration has taken place, Langohr said.

“Parents, students, teachers — everyone has been very cooperative, and we’ve gotten through it in good shape,” she said.

Reporter Kristi Albertson may be reached at 758-4438 or at kalbertson@dailyinterlake.com.